Justice Department says president can shut out reporters from the White House at his will, for national security

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The Justice Department said late Tuesday that three major national media can be shut out from areas of the White House at the president’s will, and because their coverage could be a threat to national security.

A court filing from the Trump administration late Tuesday night argues “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right,” in spite of First Amendment protections around press freedom.

The administration lawyers argue that Trump can control areas of the White House to protect national security information that may be inside the complex.

“At the very least, the Government may control reporters’ access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office, even for viewpoint-discriminatory reasons,” the Justice Department wrote to the court.

“The President has found that Plaintiffs have engaged in a number of reporting incidents that have threatened national security. Such reporting directly raises national security concerns.”

The filings came on the eve of an emergency hearing before federal judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, DC. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are asking for the court to immediately restore their access to the White House.

The case is a critical test of First Amendment protections and has prompted suspensions of live coverage of Trump by the major TV networks, National Public Radio and still photographers in the White House press corps.

While the Justice Department is arguing for the president’s prerogatives, the federal court in Washington, DC, has repeatedly restored journalists’ press access at the White House when administrations have tried to take it away. That includes by setting the law in the nation’s capital in favor of press freedoms and due process protections for news outlets.

This story is developing and will be updated.

Finn Gomez/Getty Images

美国司法部周二晚间表示，总统可以随意禁止三家主要国家媒体进入白宫的某些区域，因为它们的报道可能对国家安全构成威胁。

特朗普政府周二晚间提交的一份法庭文件辩称，“进入白宫是一种特权，而不是一项权利”，尽管宪法第一修正案保护新闻自由。

政府律师辩称，特朗普可以控制白宫的某些区域，以保护可能存在于白宫内的国家安全信息。

“至少，政府可以控制记者进入总统专属区域，例如椭圆形办公室，即使这是出于观点歧视的原因，”司法部在给法院的信中写道。

“总统认定原告参与了多起威胁国家安全的举报事件。此类举报直接引发了国家安全方面的担忧。”

这些文件提交之际，正值华盛顿特区联邦法官蒂莫西·凯利即将举行紧急听证会的前夕。CNN、MS NOW和Politico要求法院立即恢复他们进入白宫的权限。

此案是对第一修正案保护的一次关键考验，并导致各大电视网、美国国家公共广播电台和白宫记者团的摄影师暂停对特朗普的现场报道。

尽管司法部力主维护总统特权，但位于华盛顿特区的联邦法院已多次恢复记者在白宫的采访权，此前历届政府都曾试图剥夺记者的采访权。这其中包括在首都制定法律，以维护新闻自由和新闻机构的正当程序保护。

此事件仍在发展中，我们将持续更新报道。