Media Outlets Sue Trump Administration Over White House Access Ban
CNN, Politico and MS NOW have filed a lawsuit alleging the president’s ban on their White House credentials violates First Amendment rights, while other networks declined to provide TV pool coverage.
The Trump administration faces a lawsuit after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that CNN, Politico and MS NOW would be barred from White House coverage, labeling their reporting as "FAKE NEWS." The three outlets claim the ban infringes on due-process and First Amendment protections for newsgathering and speech.
In a 27-page filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the plaintiffs – the three news organizations and the journalists Akayla Gardner, Betsy Klein and Cheyenne Haslett – argue the president acted with a discriminatory motive and seek a temporary restraining order to restore their hard passes.
White House officials have not responded directly; the press office referred reporters to the president’s own post defending the action as a national-security measure. Judge Timothy Kelly, who previously ordered the return of a CNN press pass in 2018, scheduled a hearing and ordered the administration to reply by Tuesday.
The ban also disrupted the television pool system. CNN had been scheduled to provide pooled video of the president’s activities on Monday, but after Klein was turned away on Saturday, the White House omitted CNN from the pool roster. The remaining pool members – NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News – declined to assume CNN’s role, leaving no TV pool coverage for that day, though print and radio pools continue.
Critics, including First Amendment scholars and the White House Correspondents’ Association, described the move as unconstitutional. Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, said the action appears to target the public’s right to know. Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president, while Senator John Barrasso dismissed constitutional concerns, emphasizing the press’s duty to report fairly.