Networks Suspend Trump Pool Coverage as CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Over White House Ban

Major television networks agreed on Monday to suspend their pooled coverage of President Trump after the White House refused to let CNN serve as the representative for his trip to the United Nations General Assembly.“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Bryan Boughton, Fox News’ Washington bureau chief and acting chair of the television pool consortium, wrote in a note to pool members obtained by The New York Times. “This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place. All other pool coverage will continue as normal.”Five networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC — have long rotated responsibility for covering presidential events and sharing footage worldwide. It is extremely rare for a president to travel without the television pool present. Print, radio, wire journalists and still photographers are still expected to cover Mr. Trump’s Monday activities.The suspension follows an escalating standoff between the administration and the press. On Friday, Mr. Trump announced he would bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds, citing what he called “purposely negative stories.” Badges from journalists at those outlets were confiscated Saturday.The decision to ban the news outlets came after Natalie Harp, one of Mr. Trump’s closest aides, showed him clips of MS NOW anchors criticizing his administration, sources told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Trump has repeatedly voiced frustration, both publicly and privately, over coverage of his presidency, but his anger reportedly intensified after viewing the segments. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are now suing the Trump administration, arguing the ban violates their First Amendment rights. “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” the lawsuit states, adding that the White House deprived the outlets of their access “on a whim — with no notice, no process, and no warning.”The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, also alleges violations of the Due Process Clause and claims the ban constitutes unlawful viewpoint discrimination. The named plaintiffs include the three outlets along with reporters Akayla Gardner of MS NOW, Betsy Klein of CNN and Cheyenne Haslett of Politico — all of whom were denied entry and had their credentials revoked Saturday.“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the outlets said in a joint statement. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”Mr. Trump defended the ban in a Truth Social post Monday, denying it targeted the free press broadly. “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. 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!” he wrote.Meanwhile, a few top Republicans endorse Mr. Trump’s decision to ban the news outlets, saying that reporters do not have the inherent right to access the presidential residence. “We all respect and value the freedom of the press,” Senator John Barrasso, the number two Senate Republican, said during an appearance on “Meet the Press” Sunday. “The president … in his first term was banned from Twitter, he was banned from Facebook, and I didn’t see people come to his defense, so it goes both ways. The press has an obligation to report fairly.”The president’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, also backed Mr. Trump’s new ban during an appearance on CNN. “The president is absolutely within his rights to limit journalists to government facilities, particularly when, in his opinion, they’re not behaving as good-faith journalists,” Mr. Waltz said. “You don’t have an inherent right to any government facility that you want.”

Networks Suspend Trump Pool Coverage as CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Over White House Ban

Networks Suspend Trump Pool Coverage as CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Over White House Ban

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