White House bans Politico from Air Force One in latest Trump attack on media

The Independent and MS NOW report that the White House kept Politico off Air Force One on Monday, shutting the outlet out of the small group of reporters who travel with President Donald Trump. The exclusion arrives days after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore press credentials for Politico, CNN and MS NOW. CNN was first to report it, and a Politico spokesperson confirmed it to both outlets, according to The Guardian · The Independent.

Politico's slot was the print pool on Trump's Nebraska swing, MS NOW says, ahead of a Grand Island rally with Sen. Pete Ricketts. According to MS NOW, Sunday evening's White House guidance covered only in-town coverage and left out any traveling pool. The Independent reports that CNN was likewise left off a flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, and that White House communications director Steven Cheung has argued that restoring passes is a separate matter from pool access.

The Independent adds that Judge Timothy Kelly will hold a hearing Thursday on a preliminary injunction; his restraining order expires October 8. The Justice Department argues the outlets fell short on professionalism, while the outlets' lawyers call the administration's justifications tools of "arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian · The Independent and MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian · The Independent → Also at MS NOW →