Key facts
- The Trump administration defended its ban on CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House in a court filing.
- Justice Department lawyers argued that White House access is a privilege, not a right, and cited national security concerns.
- The administration claims the outlets failed to meet professionalism standards and published sensitive information.
- CNN, Politico, and MS Now are suing to end the ban, asserting it violates their First Amendment rights.
- A federal judge will hear the request for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The US Department of Justice has defended President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House, arguing in a court filing that access to the grounds is a "privilege" and citing national security concerns. Lawyers for the president doubled down on Trump’s claims that the outlets report "Fake News" and insisted the ban does not violate the First Amendment. In the filing, justice department lawyers argued that Trump concluded the news outlets "fail to satisfy the minimum requirements of professionalism" by relying on anonymous sources and not giving the White House adequate time to comment. Trump’s lawyers also claimed the three organizations had violated "decorum" by publishing classified or sensitive national security information. The justice department asked US District Judge Timothy Kelly to allow Trump to enforce his White House ban on reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS Now. The judge is expected to hold a hearing on the new organizations’ request for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET. CNN, Politico, and MS Now sued Trump on Monday, days after the president announced he would institute a White House ban on all three for reporting "fake news." The three news organizations are asking Judge Kelly to stop Trump from enforcing his ban and to restore their hard passes to the White House, claiming the ban violates the First Amendment. However, Trump and his justice department insist the ban does not infringe on the right to the free press, but rather addresses "national security" threats. In Tuesday’s filing, lawyers for the justice department said they sent letters to CNN, Politico, and MS Now on September 22 outlining examples of reports that violated "the standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex." The letters cited various "reporting incidents," including some that "threatened national security and spread falsehoods."