CNN, 2 other media outlets banned by Trump seek extension of White House relief

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have asked a federal judge to extend a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s ban on the three news outlets, seeking continued access to the White House while they challenge the administration’s decision in court.

The outlets filed their request on Monday in federal court in Washington DC, asking US District Judge Timothy Kelly to issue a preliminary injunction preventing the White House from enforcing the ban until the broader lawsuit is resolved.

Kelly had earlier issued a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring the White House to restore the outlets’ press credentials. He found that the organisations were likely to succeed in showing that the administration had failed to provide them with the legal process required before revoking their access.

The news organisations are also challenging the ban on First Amendment grounds, arguing in their September 21 lawsuit that Trump targeted them because of their coverage and that the move amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.

The Trump administration, however, has defended the ban, arguing that the president acted lawfully after determining that the outlets’ reporting posed a national security risk, including through the disclosure of classified information.

The Justice Department has also argued for greater presidential authority over White House press access.

Trump announced the ban on September 18, accusing the three organisations of reporting what he described as “FAKE NEWS” and saying they should not be allowed to “write or report FICTION and LIES”.

The dispute has continued despite Kelly’s temporary order. On September 26, CNN was excluded from its scheduled position in the White House television pool for Trump’s trip aboard Air Force One to Tennessee, with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice included instead.

The White House did not immediately comment on the decision, while a pool report said there was ultimately no TV pool for the trip. The White House television pool normally rotates among five major US broadcast outlets and shares footage of the president with the wider press corps.

After CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred, the other pool participants declined to take part in a show of solidarity, disrupting the normal system of presidential coverage.- Ends