US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House as the three news organisations filed a joint lawsuit challenging the restrictions.
Trump said the action targeted what he called fake news rather than the free press.
In a Truth Social post, he rejected allegations that his administration was attacking constitutional press freedoms and accused the outlets of posing what he described as a national security threat.
The three organisations notified the Trump administration that they were filing the lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
They argue that the White House revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or due process because of their reporting and that the restrictions violate First Amendment protections.
The dispute began Friday when Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO would no longer have access to the White House, accusing them of repeatedly publishing what he described as false reports. He warned that other media organisations could face similar restrictions.
The impact became clear on Saturday when journalists from the three outlets were denied entry to the White House complex, and some had their press credentials deactivated or confiscated.
The outlets said the government should not decide what journalists report or publish.
They are seeking court intervention to restore their access, with emergency hearings potentially taking place this week.
The dispute affects the White House television pool, a rotating system through which major networks share footage of presidential events when the full press corps cannot attend.
The case now places press access and First Amendment protections at the centre of a new legal battle between the Trump administration and major US news organisations.
Also Read: United Russia Leads Russia’s State Duma Election With 57.83 Per Cent Votes
To read more such news, download Bharat Express news apps
