A constitutional law expert accused Attorney General Todd Blanche of using national security as a “smokescreen” to defend President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban three news organizations from the White House.
Georgetown University constitutional law professor Michele Goodwin told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on Monday that the administration’s argument amounts to a “really crude way” of denying press access — and said courts have already demanded evidence to back it up.
“It’s a smokescreen,” Goodwin said. “Because what the court has said and what’s been asked of Mr. Blanche is: Show us receipts. Where has there been inaccurate reporting?”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the administration after Trump barred them from the White House. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily restored their access last week, finding due process violations.
Goodwin said Monday that Blanche has effectively fallen back on Trump’s objections to negative coverage.
“What Blanche has basically said is that it’s negative reporting that the president does not like,” she said. “But that is not a legal rule, and that is not a legal standard that will stand at a district court level. Appeals, or before the United States Supreme Court.”
Goodwin later called the administration’s use of national security to justify press restrictions “alarming,” warning that the claim could be reused in other contexts.
She also flagged a “problematic” contradiction in the administration’s national security argument.
“He was willing to fly in a plane that was given to him by a foreign government,” Goodwin said. “Let’s not forget that in a space of talking about national security threats.”
“It is actually a very serious problem,” she concluded.
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