Three news organizations — CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW — have sued the Trump administration after their White House press credentials were revoked without notice. The federal complaint names President Trump and three senior officials and argues the action violates the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause. Reporters from the outlets were reportedly denied entry after badges were deactivated; the organizations are represented by Gibson Dunn and seek immediate restoration of access.
CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW Sue Trump Administration After White House Revokes Press Passes
President Donald Trump is being sued by CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO after the commander-in-chief announced that they would be banned from the White House (AFP/Getty)
Three major news organizations — CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW — have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to restore their reporters' access to the White House after their press credentials were revoked without advance notice.
The complaint, filed Monday, names President Donald Trump and three senior White House officials — Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Communications Director Steven Cheung, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran — as defendants. The outlets say the abrupt deactivations, carried out on Saturday, violated both the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
MS NOW White House Correspondent Akayla Gardner (pictured) said on Saturday that she was denied entry to the White House (Getty)
Outlets' Response
"This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes," the three news organizations said in a joint statement.
"Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."
Reporters Blocked at the Gate
On Saturday morning, reporters for the three outlets reported being stopped at White House security checkpoints and informed that their badges had been disabled. MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner said a security officer took her badge and told her it had been deactivated. CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein reported the same experience, noting she has covered the White House since the Obama administration. POLITICO confirmed via an internal newsroom email that reporter Cheyenne Haslett also had her pass taken.
Legal Claims and Representation
Represented by the law firm Gibson Dunn, the plaintiffs ask a federal court to restore the reporters' credentials. The lawsuit, reviewed by The Independent, argues the ban is "a direct assault on the First Amendment" and denies the required procedural protections under the Due Process Clause.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (pictured) was named, alongside Trump and two other White House officials, in the lawsuit (AP)
"No official can deprive Plaintiffs of those interests on a whim — with no notice, no process, and no warning — as the President did here," the complaint states, invoking Supreme Court precedent about the vital role of a free press in public debate.
White House Response
President Trump confirmed the restrictions on Friday via Truth Social, calling the action "effective immediately" and criticizing what he calls "fake news" outlets. On Monday he posted that the White House is not assaulting the free press but is taking aim at what he described as "FAKE NEWS," which he called a threat to national security.
"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of Justice for comment. The lawsuit is ongoing, and the plaintiffs are seeking immediate restoration of the affected press passes.
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