Court orders White House to restore press credentials for CNN, Politico and MS NOW
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump violated the constitutional right to due process by banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, and ordered their press passes restored immediately. The outlets had been denied access on Thursday morning despite the judge's overnight decision, prompting an emergency hearing. Trump had originally claimed the ban was due to fake news coverage, though the White House later cited national security concerns.
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CNN, Politico and MS NOW regained access to the White House on Thursday after Federal Judge Timothy J. Kelly ruled that President Donald Trump's ban on the three outlets had likely violated their constitutional right to due process. The judge ordered that press passes be immediately restored, casting doubt on the administration's argument that the ban had been imposed for national security reasons.
The three outlets reported being turned away from the White House grounds on Thursday morning despite the judge's overnight ruling. This prompted an emergency court hearing, which was called off once access was subsequently restored. Trump had initially justified the ban by citing what he described as fake news coverage by these outlets. However, the White House later shifted its reasoning to national security concerns.
Other major networks, including Fox News, NBC, CBS and ABC, had withdrawn from White House coverage in solidarity with the banned outlets. These networks had not confirmed by Thursday whether they would resume their on-site broadcasts. The dispute occurred during a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which limited television coverage of the event.
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