The Trump administration accused media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico of publishing sensitive or classified information and failing to maintain “standards of professionalism” in a court filing Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump said the news organizations would be banned from White House grounds.
The court documents were part of a White House response to a lawsuit filed by the media companies over Trump’s decision to block them from covering his presidency.
“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” the Trump administration said in a filing outlining the alleged violations.
The media outlets’ lawsuit alleges violations of their First Amendment free press rights and due process under the Fifth Amendment. They have requested that a federal judge hear the case on an expedited basis, and a hearing is set for Wednesday.
The White House argued Trump’s actions are lawful under the First Amendment and accused the outlets of not upholding professional standards by “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods” and publishing sensitive or classified information, claiming risks to national security.
The filing also includes separate letters from the White House press office to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, citing coverage of issues such as the White House construction projects, U.S. munitions stockpiles and the Iran war.
No U.S. law explicitly makes it a crime for a journalist to obtain or publish classified information.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico did not immediately reply to a request for comment early Wednesday. The White House also did not immediately comment.
Trump first said Friday he would ban the three outlets from the White House, adding that he disliked how they covered him and accusing them of being “fake news.” The following day the organizations said their journalists were blocked from White House grounds and press passes were confiscated.
The media organizations fought back, filing the lawsuit in federal court Monday in which they asked a federal judge to halt the bans and restore their access. Other media outlets banded together in support, stopping video and photographic coverage of the president.
The White House Correspondents’ Association president has called for the reporters’ access to be immediately restored. Press advocacy groups have also condemned the move as a violation of the First Amendment.
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