Six citizens sued Trump over White House media bans. They say the policy deprives the public of news.
Six private citizens sued President Donald Trump on Monday, arguing that the White House’s bans on news outlets violate the public’s right to independent reporting about the government.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, names Trump, White House communications director Steven Cheung and chief of staff Susie Wiles. The plaintiffs are a civics teacher, a legal journalist, a student journalist, a human rights advocate, a historian and a media watchdog. They include Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, and Daniel Froomkin, editor of Press Watch. The complaint says restricting disfavored outlets deprives the public of their reporting and also deprives it of other organizations’ independent reporting, since every White House reporter must account for the possibility that a critical word could get their access revoked. The plaintiffs seek a declaration that the policy is unconstitutional because it imposes viewpoint-based and unreasonable restrictions on a limited public forum, and an injunction barring its enforcement.
The suit points to the White House’s September ban on Politico, CNN and MS NOW from White House events. A federal judge blocked that ban, ruling the outlets were likely not given enough due process, The Hill reported.
The White House said in a statement attributed to an unidentified official that no one may demand access to the Oval Office. It said outlets that peddle misinformation and defamation are capable of reporting their stories from outside. The lawsuit is part of a broader legal standoff. The New York Times is challenging a Pentagon policy requiring escorts for journalists, and ABC is fighting a dispute over broadcast license renewals.
Information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, The Hill, Courthouse News and USA Today.