The administration of US President Donald Trump has restored access to journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW to the White House after federal judge Timothy Kelly ordered their passes to be immediately returned. The decision was implemented on September 24, less than an hour before the government had to explain why the court order was not implemented immediately.
Kelly ruled that the restriction would not be implemented for 14 days and called the ban likely unconstitutional. The judge rejected the government's argument that the measure was dictated by national security considerations.
“There is no factual evidence in the case file that revoking the plaintiffs' permanent passes would actually protect national security,“ said Timothy Kelly.Despite the court's ruling, journalists from the three media outlets were initially again denied access to the White House complex. CNN, MS NOW and Politico notified the court of the non-compliance and requested an emergency hearing. The administration then restored access, and correspondents from the three newsrooms confirmed that their passes were active again.
The conflict began with Trump's ban
Trump banned journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on September 18. He accused the newsrooms of publishing “fake news” and said they should not be allowed to spread “fabrications and lies” about the work of the president and the administration. The next day, the pass of an MS NOW correspondent was deactivated, CNN journalists were denied entry, and the Secret Service revoked the credentials of a Politico journalist.
The three newsrooms filed a lawsuit against the president and administration officials, claiming that they were punished for the content of their publications. They cited violations of guarantees of freedom of speech and the press, as well as the right to due process. Other media outlets have also joined the dispute: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News refused to replace CNN in the White House's rotating television pool after the media outlet's access was revoked.
Sources: RBC, Reuters