A federal judge recently ordered the White House to reinstate press access for CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, ruling President Donald Trump’s recent ban unconstitutional.
Trump-nominated U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly placed a 14-day temporary restraining order against the president’s ban, ruling it a violation of the outlets’ due process rights.
“Simply put – the record lacks the factual support for Defendants’ contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Judge Kelly wrote.
Judge Kelly’s decision comes less than a week after President Trump imposed a ban on the three outlets, arguing that he was “instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS,” which he claimed threatened the U.S.’s national security.
Reporters Still Denied Despite Ruling
Despite Judge Kelly’s ruling, POLITICO reported that one of its reporters was denied access to the White House and had their credentials confiscated again.
A CNN reporter additionally said she was denied entry to the compound just a few hours after the ruling.
Arguments Brought By The Lawyers
During the hearing, Theodore Boutrous Jr., the outlets’ attorney, argued that the ban caused irreparable harm to the organizations.
“We’re at war. We have world leaders coming to Washington,” Boutrous said.
Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney Michael Velchick argued that “access to the White House was a privilege, not a right,” affirming that the president could decide who gets in.
White House Attorneys' List Of National Security Threatening Stories
In a filing prior to the hearing, administration attorneys detailed “a non-exhaustive list of reporting incidents, including those that have threatened national security and spread falsehoods.”
The attorneys cited CNN’s “‘top-secret’ construction details related to the East Wing bunker”; POLITICO’s report on “a document detailing funding for the White House ballroom containing intricate descriptions of how the Secret Service would invest in security improvements”; and MS Now’s report “on an alleged leak investigation.”
