Key takeaways:
- A federal judge ordered the White House to temporarily restore access for CNN, Politico and MS NOW.
- Reporters from all three outlets were turned away Thursday morning, and some had their passes confiscated.
- The outlets requested an emergency hearing as CNN prepared for a television pool assignment during Xi Jinping’s White House visit.
Reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW were turned away from the White House on Thursday morning, hours after a federal judge ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily restore the outlets’ access. Lawyers for the three organizations asked for an emergency hearing, saying the White House had “repeatedly violated” the order.
In a court filing quoted by The Guardian, the outlets’ lawyers said journalists from all three organizations had tried to enter and been refused. They said Secret Service agents confiscated the hard passes of journalists whose passes had not already been taken. Not every employee was turned away: the BBC reported that some producers from the affected outlets were admitted.
Federal Judge Timothy Kelly issued the order overnight while a case challenging the restrictions proceeds. He found that the ban “likely violated their constitutional due process rights,” the BBC reported. The Guardian reported that Kelly was appointed by Trump and had ruled in favor of a CNN journalist similarly barred from the White House during Trump’s first term.
Trump initially said he banned the outlets because they were spreading “fake news.” The White House later cited national security as grounds for barring them, according to the BBC. It was not clear whether Thursday’s refusals reflected an administrative delay as the White House worked to comply with the order. The White House had not commented on the ruling, the BBC reported, and lawyers for the president could take further legal action.
The outlets gave accounts of the denials. CNN said senior White House reporter Betsy Klein was among its staff refused entry, though a producer was allowed in, according to the BBC. Politico said one of its reporters was turned away and had his press credentials confiscated. MS NOW said its White House reporter Laura Barrón-López and a producer were denied access and had their passes taken, while another of its producers entered.
The dispute unfolded as Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House for a state visit. The outlets’ emergency filing said time was “of the essence,” adding that CNN was scheduled for the television pool that evening during Xi’s visit. The BBC reported that the standoff was expected to affect television coverage of the visit.
The Guardian reported that Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on a red carpet on the South Lawn. Outside the White House, anti-Beijing and pro-Beijing demonstrators gathered in separate groups, with no direct clash, The Guardian reported, citing the Associated Press.
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