CNN, MS NOW and Politico regain White House access temporarily

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained access to the White House yesterday after a judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s ban in an early-morning order.

Nearly a week ago, Trump barred these outlets from the grounds, claiming their constant reporting was “FAKE NEWS!” before later calling their reporting a national security risk. This prompted the outlets to challenge the order in court.

ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC suspended White House video coverage for the week in solidarity with CNN and the other affected outlets. The result: no major US network aired live footage of Trump’s meeting yesterday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The press got a temporary reprieve after Judge Timothy Kelly said he was “skeptical—at least on this record” that national security was the “actual motivation” behind revoking CNN, MS NOW, and Politico’s press passes. He granted the outlets a 14-day restraining order as their First Amendment lawsuit moves forward. 

Kelly also said the media outlets have a good chance of proving their due process rights were violated.

The ruling did not immediately translate into access. CNN reporter Betsy Klein and other journalists were turned away by the Secret Service Thursday morning. CNN staff eventually regained entry around noon.