Outlets Trump banned from White House sue administration on First Amendment grounds

A trio of news outlets President Trump barred from covering the White House last week sued the administration on Monday, arguing it is violating the First Amendment and harming their ability to share information about the government with the public.

In the lawsuit, filed in district court in Washington, D.C., attorneys for CNN, MS NOW and Politico argued the ban “could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.”

The block “retaliates against protected newsgathering and speech in violation of the First Amendment,” the suit argues, noting Trump’s statements about the outlets he banned make “clear he implemented the ban to coerce more favorable coverage of the administration from CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, and to deter other journalists and news organizations from reporting that the President might view as unfavorable.”

The president on Friday said the outlets were banned from the White House after publishing what he called “fake news” — a move that has been widely condemned by First Amendment advocates and other media organizations.

On Monday, the TV pool that covers the president’s daily movements said it was boycotting those responsibilities in a show of solidarity with CNN, one of its member outlets.

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,” the networks wrote in a joint statement. “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

The president’s ban is “already severely impeding the ability of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO to cover the President and his administration,” the lawsuit argues asking the court to “immediately enjoin enforcement of the ban.”

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, the same judge who oversaw the White House’s temporary ban on a press credential belonging to former CNN reporter Jim Acosta during Trump’s first term.

Trump earlier Monday sought to justify the ban in a post on Truth Social .

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” he wrote, arguing the administration is instead “instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS.”

“It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control,” the president continued. “It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”