Judge skeptical of White House ban of 3 news outlets but holds off on ruling for now

Filed 1h ago · Via Florida Phoenix · The Buffoon Desk

THIS STORY IS SCORED

DarxieLand

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: The White House from Washington, DC · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

A federal judge in Washington heard arguments over whether the Trump administration illegally revoked White House press passes for reporters at CNN, MS Now and Politico, and indicated he may be bound by circuit precedent requiring due process before such credentials are pulled. He said he'd rule as soon as possible without giving a timeline.

The news organizations' attorney argued the ban of 78 journalists was an unprecedented punishment and that the administration's cited national security justification only surfaced after the lawsuit was filed, not when the ban was announced. The Justice Department countered that press access is a privilege, not a right, and suggested any reinstatement shouldn't happen before Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.

The dispute has already disrupted the television pool system that shares White House video coverage. A Democratic lawmaker called the ban part of a broader pattern of using government power against perceived opponents.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A White House that reaches for the national security label only after getting sued isn't citing a reason, it's shopping for one after the fact, like a man explaining why he really meant to sell that truck all along. The judge noticed the timing, which is more than the administration seemed to expect. Whatever he rules, the sequence here already told you plenty.

Source: Read the original at Florida Phoenix → Scored: DarxieLand · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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