WorldPosted at: Sep 23 2026 10:02PM


US DOJ justifies Trump’s White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico on basis of ‘professionalism and decorum’

Washington, Sep 23 (UNI) US Justice Department lawyers defended President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, arguing that the restrictions were justified by national security concerns and the need for “professionalism and decorum” among journalists.
In a Tuesday filing to a federal district court in Washington, DC, the Trump administration argued that access to the White House was a “privilege, not a right” and that the ban did not violate the First Amendment. The case is due to be heard on Wednesday, when a judge will consider whether the outlets should regain their press access.
The Justice Department said the president had at least two “compelling reasons” for restricting access: enforcing minimum standards for journalists and protecting classified or sensitive information.
“The President believes basic journalistic standards require calling, asking for comment, and providing a reasonable opportunity for a response,” the lawyers wrote. “At a bare minimum, it is a significant violation of decorum to publish classified and sensitive national security information.”
The department also submitted letters sent by the White House press office to CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Tuesday, formally notifying the organisations that Trump had decided to revoke their reporters’ White House credentials.
The letters accused the outlets of behaviour that violated “the standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex”, including publishing what the administration described as false claims about national security and disclosing sensitive or classified information. The outlets were given until 5pm Friday to respond.
The move appeared aimed in part at addressing the outlets’ argument that they had been denied due process because they received no advance warning or opportunity to respond before their credentials were revoked.
“The President provided no notice that he would immediately deny news organizations whose reporting he dislikes access to the White House grounds,” lawyers for the three organisations wrote. “His standard for denying access is arbitrary and vague — indeed, it can hardly be called a standard at all.”
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and senior administration officials on Monday, asking the court to restore their access and arguing that the ban amounted to retaliation over their coverage. Their lawsuit names Trump, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, communications director Steven Cheung and Secret Service chief Sean Curran.
The outlets have argued that the restrictions violate the First Amendment because they discriminate on the basis of editorial viewpoint and could pressure news organisations into providing more favourable coverage of the administration.
The case was assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump during his first term. Kelly previously handled a lawsuit by former CNN reporter Jim Acosta after the White House revoked his press credential in 2018. Kelly ordered the credential restored after finding that Acosta’s due process rights under the Fifth Amendment had been violated.
The Trump administration has faced another legal fight over media access involving the Associated Press. Trump barred AP journalists from certain White House events last year after the news organisation declined to adopt his preferred name, “Gulf of America”, for the Gulf of Mexico.
A federal judge initially ordered the White House to restore the AP’s access, but an appeals court later allowed restrictions in limited areas such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. The court said journalists could not be excluded from spaces generally open to the press, such as the briefing room, because of their viewpoints.
The current dispute is broader because CNN, MS NOW and Politico have been barred from White House grounds rather than only from restricted areas.
Since Trump returned to office, the White House press office has also taken control of the presidential press pool, a rotating group of journalists who cover the president and share material with other news organisations.
The latest ban has disrupted the television pool. CNN had been scheduled to travel with Trump to New York for the UN General Assembly as part of the rotating pool, but was removed following the White House decision. CBS News, ABC News, NBC News and Fox News subsequently suspended the television pool in solidarity with CNN.
The Justice Department’s filing comes as the White House maintains that the restrictions concern the conduct of the organisations and national security rather than their editorial positions, while the three outlets argue that the stated reasons mask discrimination against coverage the administration dislikes.
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Tags: #US DOJ justifies Trump’s White House ban on CNN# MS NOW# Politico on basis of ‘professionalism and decorum’
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