CNN Threatens Lawsuit Over Air Force One Access
CNN has warned the Trump administration of further legal action if reporters remain barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One.
The Cable News Network, Inc. has threatened the Trump administration with new legal action unless it ends restrictions preventing reporters from accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One. In a letter to the Justice Department, CNN attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. accused the administration of unlawful retaliation based on the network's news coverage and demanded written confirmation by Thursday that the restrictions would be abandoned.
White House officials defended the exclusions, stating that journalists have no constitutional right to access sensitive and private facilities. The administration argued that publications that "lie, fabricate, and ignore the truth" can report from outside secure areas. Boutrous countered that these spaces are the primary venues for presidential press interactions, noting the president has fielded nearly 5,000 questions in these locations compared to roughly 150 in the briefing room.
The dispute follows a federal court ruling that blocked the administration from banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds. While that ruling protected hard passes, it did not guarantee access to presidential press pools. The administration is currently appealing the preliminary injunction regarding those credentials.
