WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, 34 organizations released a letter demanding the Trump administration permanently restore journalist access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, hours after a federal judge ordered the same outcome, ruling that the White House’s ban on the outlets was likely unconstitutional. Even with that court order in hand, the administration continued denying journalists from the three outlets entry to the White House grounds well into Thursday morning, before allowing them back in around noon.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order overnight, directing the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the press credentials it had confiscated. The order followed President Trump’s announcement that he was “banning” the three outlets over their coverage of him last weekend.
“The White House is a government building funded by American taxpayers and a center of consequential governmental decision-making,” the coalition writes in a letter addressed to President Trump. “Access to it is not a privilege the President grants or revokes based on whether coverage flatters him.”
The letter argues that the bans amounted to unconstitutional retaliation against journalists and that the administration’s initial refusal to comply with a federal court order only underscores that. “What the Trump Administration did this past weekend is unconstitutional,” the coalition writes. “It is an assault on the free press and an affront to the American people.” The signatories warn that punishing outlets over unfavorable coverage sets a dangerous precedent: that access to the White House depends on political loyalty rather than the press’s basic function of informing the public – the kind of government control the First Amendment prohibits.
The 34 organizations call on the White House to make full, viewpoint-neutral journalist access permanent rather than contingent on a temporary restraining order, and on Congress and the courts to hold the administration accountable for failing to promptly comply with a federal judge’s order before finally complying.
Read the full letter here.