Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back into the White House on Thursday, six days after US President Donald Trump banned the outlets, following a federal court order directing that their access be restored.
District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled overnight that revoking the White House press credentials of the three media organisations “likely violated their constitutional due process rights”, reports AFP.
Reporters from the three organisations who tried to return to the White House early Thursday, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit, were initially turned away by the Secret Service. They were eventually admitted around midday.
Journalists from other outlets gathered around CNN’s tent on the White House driveway and filmed reporter Betsy Klein as she delivered a live report after returning to the complex. Several journalists called out, “Welcome back”.
In his ruling, Kelly criticised the way the White House carried out the expulsion, stating: “The ‘general rule’ is that ‘individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them’ of a constitutionally protected interest”.
Kelly, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, also questioned the administration’s rationale.
“The Court is skeptical — at least on this record — that Defendants’ interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes,” the judge said.
Despite regaining access to the complex earlier in the day, CNN reported later Thursday that the White House had “denied two CNN journalists from covering Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s arrival back at the White House for a state dinner”.
The cable network also reported that MS NOW journalists were denied access to the arrival.
Trump had barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on Friday for distributing what he called “fake news” and “fiction and lies”.
The Republican president has long criticised media outlets that carry coverage critical of him, repeatedly referring to the press as the “enemy of the people”.
In response to the ban, the three organisations filed a joint lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order, arguing that their exclusion violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees a free press.
Ahead of the court ruling, the Department of Justice argued that Trump had the authority to “control reporters’ access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office”, maintaining that “access to the White House is a privilege — not a right”.
The White House Press Office also sent a letter accusing CNN of “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information”. Similar accusations were levelled against MS NOW and Politico.
The letter to CNN specifically cited several stories concerning the US-Iran war and a report on Trump’s plans to build a military bunker beneath the planned East Wing ballroom, which allegedly disclosed “‘top-secret’ construction details”.
The legal dispute prompted a significant display of media unity.
In a rare move, the top five US television broadcasters — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC — announced that they were halting pool coverage of the White House. Under the arrangement, one broadcaster films on behalf of all television networks for the day.
The broadcasters said they were taking the step in solidarity with CNN.
In a joint statement, they declared: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting”.
