Trump put CNN ‘on notice’ years ago when he called it ‘fake news,’ DOJ tells judge

Lawyers for the Justice Department told a federal judge that CNN had ample warning before President Donald Trump barred it, along with MSNOW and Politico, from the White House. Attorney Michael Velchik said the network had been put on notice years earlier by Trump's repeated attacks on it as "fake news," and argued that the president may single out particular reporters or outlets at his discretion. The outlets want U. S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to restore their access and bar the administration from pulling their credentials while their lawsuit proceeds, according to The Independent.

Their attorney, Theodore Boutrous, called the process a sham that violates First Amendment and due process rights, saying Trump acted to punish viewpoints he disliked. The national security rationale surfaced only in September 22 letters from the White House Press Office, sent after the suit was filed. Those letters cited stories, some more than a year old, on military matters and on plans for the former East Wing site, which officials had themselves described in court filings.

Kelly's temporary order, issued September 24, rejected the security argument and restored credentials. CNN and Politico were later kept off Air Force One. The White House calls that travel a privilege.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →