Judge to hear CNN, MS NOW and Politico lawsuit against Trump administration

A hearing into a lawsuit filed by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, following their banishment from the White House, will be heard this afternoon by a federal judge in the DC District Court. The emergency request to restore access alleges President Donald Trump’s ban violates the First Amendment and the Constitution’s due process protections.

The Justice Department defended the ban by arguing the outlets can be shut out from areas of the White House at the president’s will. The lawyers said that their coverage of the Iran war and the White House ballroom project could amount to a national security risk that justifies the ban.

The standoff is one of the administration’s most high-profile attacks on the press to date, with implications extending far beyond the three banned news outlets. Trump said last Friday, when he announced the ban , that he might add other outlets to the list.

GOP senators criticize Trump ban on media outlets as “inappropriate”

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Several GOP senators yesterday criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

“It’s absolutely inappropriate,” Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters, noting he similarly criticized the Pentagon for restricting press access.

“I can’t be critical, as I have been with Pete Hegseth, and when you see the same behavior, not have the same observation. So, I think it’s a mistake. You know, it’s never good. I mean, the better approach to tough questions is a good answer,” the retiring North Carolina Republican said.

Sen. John Cornyn, a departing Texas Republican, also called it “inappropriate,” quipping that has “something to do with the First Amendment.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley insisted he is not disagreeing with the president, but said Trump “shouldn’t have” banned those outlets.

“I’m not saying I disagree with him. You asked me a question and I answered. I said, ‘He shouldn’t have done that,’” the Iowa Republican told reporters.

Justice Department argues White House access is a "privilege, not a right"

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Ahead of the emergency hearing this afternoon, the Justice Department said that CNN, MS NOW and Politico can be shut out from areas of the White House at the president’s will.

The lawyers argue that the outlets’ coverage of the Iran war and of President Donald Trump’s ballroom construction could amount to a national security risk that justifies the ban.

The filing also argues Trump can control private areas of the White House to protect national security information that may be inside the complex – an argument in line with other abrupt lockdowns and changes Trump has made to the White House.

“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 outlets argue in their lawsuit that Trump’s ban violates the First Amendment and the Constitution’s due process protections.

Journalists were denied access to the White House on Saturday. Here's what happened

MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner, CNN reporter Betsy Klein and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett each tried to enter the White House grounds Saturday to cover news and were denied entry by the Secret Service, which seized their press passes .

Klein reported that a Secret Service agent said her press pass had been deactivated.

MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner similarly said that an “officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled. I asked why I was not able to get inside. He said it was above him.”

Later on Saturday morning, Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry to the White House.

The restrictions came one day after President Donald Trump announced that the three national news outlets would be barred from the White House.

CNN、MS NOW和Politico因被禁止进入白宫而提起诉讼，今天下午将在华盛顿特区地方法院由一名联邦法官进行听证。该诉讼要求恢复其进入白宫的权限，并声称特朗普总统的禁令违反了美国宪法第一修正案和正当程序条款。

司法部为这项禁令辩护称，总统有权禁止这些媒体进入白宫的某些区域。律师们表示，这些媒体对伊朗战争和白宫宴会厅改造项目的报道可能构成国家安全风险，因此这项禁令是合理的。

这场僵局是本届政府迄今为止对新闻界最引人注目的一次打压，其影响远远超出被禁的三家新闻机构。特朗普上周五宣布禁令时曾表示，他可能会将其他媒体也列入禁播名单。

共和党参议员批评特朗普对媒体的禁令“不恰当”。

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昨天，几位共和党参议员批评了唐纳德·特朗普总统禁止 CNN、MS NOW 和 Politico 进入白宫的决定。

“这绝对不合适，”参议员汤姆·蒂利斯告诉记者，并指出他曾以类似的方式批评五角大楼限制媒体采访。

“我不能像批评皮特·赫格塞斯那样批评他，当你看到同样的行为却不做出同样的评价时。所以，我认为这是个错误。你知道，这从来都不是好事。我的意思是，面对棘手的问题，更好的方法是给出合理的回答，”这位即将退休的北卡罗来纳州共和党人说道。

即将卸任的德克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁也称其“不恰当”，并打趣说这“与第一修正案有关”。

参议院司法委员会主席查克·格拉斯利坚称他并非反对总统，但表示特朗普“不应该”禁止这些媒体。

“我不是说我不同意他的观点。你问了我一个问题，我回答了。我说，‘他不应该那样做，’”这位爱荷华州共和党人告诉记者。

司法部辩称，进入白宫是一种“特权，而非权利”。

格雷姆·斯隆/盖蒂图片社

在今天下午的紧急听证会之前，司法部表示，根据总统的意愿，CNN、MS NOW 和 Politico 可以被禁止进入白宫的某些区域。

律师们辩称，这些媒体对伊朗战争和唐纳德·特朗普总统宴会厅建设的报道可能构成国家安全风险，足以构成禁令的理由。

该诉讼文件还辩称，特朗普可以控制白宫的私人区域，以保护可能存在于白宫内的国家安全信息——这一论点与特朗普对白宫进行的其他突然封锁和改变是一致的。

“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。”

这些媒体在诉讼中辩称，特朗普的禁令违反了宪法第一修正案和宪法的正当程序保护。

周六，记者被拒绝进入白宫。以下是事件经过。

MS NOW 记者 Akayla Gardner、CNN 记者 Betsy Klein 和 Politico 记者 Cheyenne Haslett 周六都试图进入白宫进行新闻报道，但都被特勤局拒绝进入，特勤局还没收了她们的记者证。

克莱因报道称，一名特勤局特工表示她的记者证已被停用。

MS NOW 记者 Akayla Gardner 也表示：“一名警官要求我交出警徽。他说我的警徽坏了。我问为什么我进不去。他说警徽在他头上。”

周六上午晚些时候，《政客》杂志记者夏安·哈斯莱特也被拒绝进入白宫。

这些限制措施出台的前一天，唐纳德·特朗普总统宣布禁止三家全国性新闻媒体进入白宫。