Washington, D.C., September 21 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House, characterizing the media access ban as an action against “fake news” rather than an attack on constitutional press freedoms.
Trump’s statement, posted on Truth Social, came after the three news organizations announced a joint First Amendment lawsuit against his administration following the sudden revocation of their journalists’ press credentials.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” President Trump wrote. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.”
In his response to the joint legal challenge filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, which called the action a threat to press freedom and government interference in independent journalism, Trump strongly rejected the allegations and doubled down on his criticism of the news outlets’ coverage, instead calling it a “threat to National Security.”
“It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump added in his post.
On Friday, Trump said he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the outlets of what he described as “fake news.”
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous USD 8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!) from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump added that other media organizations could also face restrictions.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” he added.
The impact of the decision became apparent on Saturday when journalists from the three affected organizations were denied access to the White House complex, and some had their press credentials confiscated.
Following the ban, CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO announced in a joint statement that they were filing a legal challenge to protect their constitutional rights and challenge government control over news coverage.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the joint statement read.
The joint legal action comes days after reporters from the three news outlets were turned away at security gates and had their press badges confiscated by Secret Service officers.
The news outlets, calling the action a threat to press freedom, said that the action was taken to protect independent journalism from “government interference.”
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the organizations stated. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
CNN has reported that the emergency filing is set for review by a federal judge in the D.C. District Court, with administration officials potentially facing hearings and legal arguments in the coming days.
CNN has said it would continue covering the U.S. government despite the restrictions.
The dispute now centers on the White House television pool, a rotating arrangement involving five major networks that provides shared footage of the President’s activities, including travel and events where the entire press corps cannot be present. (ANI)
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