The White House has defied a federal judge's order by continuing to deny access to reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. This occurred hours after a judge ruled that President Donald Trump's ban on their access should be temporarily lifted, citing that it likely violated their constitutional due process rights. Lawyers for the affected media outlets have requested an emergency court hearing, alleging that the White House has "repeatedly violated" the order to restore press access.
Reporters from all three outlets reported being denied entry on Thursday morning. Politico stated that one of its reporters was denied access and had their press credentials confiscated. MS NOW reported that its White House reporter, Laura Barrón-López, and a producer were denied access and had their passes taken, although another MS NOW producer was allowed entry. CNN also confirmed that some of their reporters, including senior White House reporter Betsy Klein, were denied entry, while one producer was granted access.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who had issued the temporary restraining order, stated that the media outlets had met the legal thresholds for such an order and were likely to succeed in proving that their press passes were revoked without due process. The ruling blocked the ban for 14 days. The White House had previously justified the ban by citing national security concerns, an argument that Judge Kelly rejected, noting that Trump had initially focused on the outlets spreading "fake news."
In response to the ban, major American television networks had suspended their pooled White House coverage in protest. The judge's ruling, which came early on Thursday, had ordered the White House to "immediately return, reinstate, and restore" the press credentials. However, the continued denial of access indicates a direct challenge to the judicial order by the Trump administration.
