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CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued President Donald Trump's administration after their journalists were barred from the White House, escalating a growing dispute over press access and the First Amendment.
The three news organizations filed the lawsuit Monday, Sept. 21, in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to restore access for their reporters. They argue that the administration revoked their credentials without notice or due process because it objected to their reporting.
"This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes," the outlets said in a joint statement.
The dispute began Friday, Sept. 18, when Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from entering the White House, accusing the organizations of publishing what he called "FICTION and LIES."
The following day, reporters from all three outlets said they were denied entry to the White House grounds, with their press credentials confiscated. Trump later said the decision was based on what he described as years of negative coverage.
"It's really just cumulative stories over the last few years. You get sick of it," Trump said. "They're smart people, but they purposely write negative news."
Trump addressed the lawsuit Monday in a Truth Social post, rejecting the suggestion that his administration was attacking the press.
"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish," he wrote. "It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America."
He further described the media as "corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control," adding, "It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!"
The lawsuit argues that the ban violates the outlets' First Amendment rights and Fifth Amendment protections, claiming the administration punished them because of the content of their journalism. The organizations are seeking an emergency order that would restore their access while the case proceeds.
The White House has defended the move. Vice President JD Vance said the administration was not preventing the outlets from reporting on Trump, but was withholding what he called "special access inside the White House."
