WASHINGTON (AURN News) — The Justice Department is defending President Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico ahead of a 3:30 p.m. ET hearing Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly will consider the outlets’ emergency request to restore their reporters’ White House access while the lawsuit continues.
In a late filing Tuesday, DOJ argued that access to the White House is “a privilege, not a right.”
DOJ accused the outlets of publishing sensitive or classified information and said CNN, MS NOW and Politico have until 5 p.m. Friday to challenge the decision in writing. The judge has not ruled that their reporting endangered national security.
Trump initially announced the ban in a Truth Social post, accusing the outlets of spreading what he called “fake news.”
The outlets say their reporters were turned away from the White House before receiving a formal explanation for the ban.
The outlets argue the ban violates the First Amendment by punishing them for their editorial viewpoint and violates their Fifth Amendment due process rights because they received no notice or opportunity to challenge the decision before their credentials were revoked.
Wednesday’s hearing will focus on the outlets’ request for immediate restoration of White House access while the broader constitutional case continues.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @ebonymcmorris & @aurnonline.
