The US Department of Justice has defended Donald Trump’s decision to ban three new organizations from the White House, arguing in a court filing that access to the grounds was a “privilege” and citing national security concerns.
Lawyers for the US president doubled down on Trump’s claims about CNN, Politico and MS Now reporting “Fake News”, and insisted the ban did not violate the first amendment because “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right”.
In the filing, justice department lawyers argued that Trump had concluded that the news outlets “fail to satisfy the minimum requirements of professionalism” by relying on anonymous sources, and not giving the White House enough 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 Timothy Kelly, the federal judge overseeing the case, 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 3.30pm ET.
CNN, Politico and MS Now sued Trump on Monday, days after the president announced he would institute a White House ban. His accusation of “fake news” is one the US president has repeatedly made against media outlets, often without citing evidence.
The three news organizations are asking 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.
But Trump and his justice department insist the ban does not infringe on the right to the free press, saying instead it addresses “national security” threats.
In Tuesday’s filing, lawyers for the justice department said it sent letters to CNN, Politico and MS Now 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”.
That includes CNN’s reporting on construction of the East Wing bunker under the White House ballroom; MS Now’s reporting on an alleged leak investigation; and Politico’s reporting on how the US Secret Service would invest money into security improvements for Trump’s ballroom.
