&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "White House access is 'privilege': DOJ cites national security for Trump media ban")
US Justice Department lawyers defended President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, arguing that the move was legally justified over concerns linked to national security and journalistic conduct.
The Trump administration made the argument in a filing before a federal district court in Washington, DC. Reporters from the three news organisations had their White House press credentials, also known as hard passes, revoked, preventing them from accessing the White House grounds.
“Access to the White House is a privilege, not a right,” Justice Department lawyers wrote.
The administration argued that the ban does not violate the First Amendment, citing what it described as two “compelling reasons” for restricting access. These included enforcing “minimum standards of professionalism” among journalists and protecting classified information.
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The Justice Department said the president expects journalists to follow basic reporting standards, including seeking comments before publishing reports.
“The President believes basic journalistic standards require calling, asking for comment, and providing a reasonable opportunity for a response,” they said. “At a bare minimum, it is a significant violation of decorum to publish classified and sensitive national security information.”
The department also submitted letters from the White House press office to the court. The letters, dated Tuesday, informed CNN, MS NOW and Politico that Trump had decided to revoke the hard passes of their journalists.
According to the letters, the outlets had “exhibited behaviour in violation of the standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex, including by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”
The White House has given the three organisations until 5 p.m. Friday to respond to the allegations.
News outlets challenge Trump's decision
The Justice Department's filing came ahead of a hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. During the hearing, a judge will consider whether the White House should restore the media organisations’ credentials and access.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and senior administration officials on Monday. The three organisations described the decision as a “direct assault on the First Amendment” and a “blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.”
The legal challenge follows Trump’s announcement that the three outlets would be barred from the White House. He accused them of repeatedly publishing what he called “FAKE NEWS”.
Trump announced the decision in a post on Truth Social and said the ban would take effect immediately. He also warned that “other Fake News Media Outlets to follow”.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW... and Politico... from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!” Trump said.
