Judge presses Justice Department on justifications for White House media ban

A federal judge signaled doubt Thursday that the White House can defend barring reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, a ban covering 78 credentialed journalists that President Trump announced after objecting to their coverage. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed, left in place until Tuesday his earlier temporary order restoring access, and promised to decide by then whether to extend that protection while the lawsuit proceeds, according to CBS News.

Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik argued that the president concluded the outlets' reporters fell short of basic professional standards and printed material endangering national security. Kelly pressed on why that rationale differs from Trump's public explanations, calling it difficult to find a precedent where an official's stated motive changes once in court. The judge also said the government's largest obstacle is the claim that the outlets received no due process, citing a 2020 D.C. Circuit decision requiring notice and clear standards before a credential is suspended.

Kelly's earlier order called the cited stories "routine." Access returned, but the White House still keeps CNN and Politico out of the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →