Television networks on Sept. 25 resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s events after a federal judge ruled that the administration must temporarily restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
Trump last week barred the three news outlets from the White House, accusing them of reporting “fake news.” Other television networks later suspended their White House pool coverage to protest the ban.
Television pool coverage of White House events has resumed after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order against the ban on Sept. 24, restoring hard pass access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
The television press pool aired video of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s arrival at the White House on the final day of his visit on Sept. 25, as well as the two leaders’ tour of the National Archives, which houses the U.S. Constitution.
Despite the court order, the White House blocked CNN from boarding Air Force One for Trump’s Sept. 26 trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a college football game. CNN said it had initially been scheduled to travel with the president as part of the television press pool, but the White House later issued press guidance that did not include the network.
The White House television pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast networks—CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS News—which rotate responsibility for shooting and sharing footage of the president. The networks’ previous decision to suspend White House coverage to protest the ban meant there was no television pool coverage during the first two days of Xi’s visit.
In a Sept. 22 filing asking the court to deny the lawsuit challenging the ban, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico is lawful under the First Amendment, citing national security concerns. It emphasized that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a right.
The department said the three outlets had “failed to maintain basic minimum standards of professionalism and decorum expected to those given access to the White House Complex, including by publishing sensitive or classified information.”
The outlets filed for a temporary restraining order on Sept. 21, arguing that the White House ban violates the First Amendment. A remote hearing on the case was held on Sept. 23.
In the Thursday ruling, the judge agreed to temporarily restore hard pass access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico while the litigation continues, finding that the White House had erred in providing “fair notice” to the outlets.
Melanie Sun, Zachary Stieber, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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