Court Restores Press Access Amid White House Dispute

CNN and MS NOW reporters said they were denied access to cover guests arriving for a White House state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, despite a federal judge’s order temporarily restoring access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The outlets said they had submitted their reporters’ names for credentials. CNN reported that the White House would allow only a photojournalist and audio technician, not a reporting team, while MS NOW reporter Laura Barron-Lopez said she was told to contact the White House communications director. A White House account on X argued that the outlets were not entitled to unrestricted access to every event or area. The reported denial followed confusion earlier on Thursday. The three outlets initially said they could not enter, prompting them to seek an emergency court hearing. The White House director of operations then told the court that the outlets’ passes and confiscated badges had been restored by 09:45 local time, after which the outlets said they were allowed back in. Other networks that had withdrawn from White House coverage in solidarity had not confirmed whether they would resume. Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the ban paused for 14 days, finding that the outlets were likely to show the administration had failed to provide adequate due process and that the ban likely violated their constitutional rights. He also questioned the administration’s national-security justification. The Justice Department had argued that the outlets’ reporting threatened national security. Trump had barred the outlets the previous week, accusing them of publishing “fiction or lies” and “fake news.” The outlets pursued legal action, supported by an amicus brief from more than 50 media organizations. The article also notes a 2009 dispute in which the Obama administration attempted to exclude Fox News from a press-pool interview before reversing course after objections from other networks.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House on Thursday, September 24, after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore their press access. District Judge Timothy Kelly found that revoking the outlets’ credentials likely violated their constitutional due process rights, because people generally must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of a protected interest. President Donald Trump had barred the three outlets from reporting at the White House for six days. Although the journalists initially encountered resistance from the Secret Service when they tried to enter, they were later allowed back onto the grounds. Their access remained limited. CNN said two of its journalists were denied permission to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival at the White House for a state dinner, and MS NOW reported that its journalists were also excluded from the arrival. The event took place during Xi’s visit to Washington. No major American network aired live coverage of the arrival. After CNN was removed from a rotation of five major broadcasters that share video through a pool, the other four outlets declined to take part, in a show of solidarity. The White House Press Office defended its actions in a letter to CNN, accusing the network of publishing false claims about national security and other matters, as well as sensitive or classified information. It made similar allegations against MS NOW and Politico. The letter cited CNN stories about the US-Iran war and Trump’s plans for a military bunker beneath a proposed East Wing ballroom, which the administration said disclosed top-secret construction details. The article reports the competing claims and access developments without resolving the White House’s allegations.

US President Donald Trump accused CNN and MSNBC—referred to in his post as “MSDNC”—of declining to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arriving at the White House. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed the outlets avoided the event because they did not want to give him credit. He described the arrival as a major, television-worthy occasion and said the White House state dinner for Xi that evening would be spectacular. Trump also attributed the outlets’ falling ratings to what he called a lack of credibility and their negative coverage of him, while citing his election performance and what he characterized as the country’s successes. The article places Trump’s accusation against the backdrop of a legal fight over White House press access. Earlier that Thursday, US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, said the outlets were likely to succeed in arguing that the access ban was unconstitutional. He cited the general rule that people must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of a constitutionally protected interest. The dispute began after Trump announced on social media that he was immediately banning the three outlets from the White House, accusing them of publishing “fake news.” He also alleged that Politico had received an improper $8 million government subscription under former President Joe Biden. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico subsequently sued the administration. They said their legal action was intended to defend the principle that the government should not determine what the press reports. The article reports both Trump’s claims and the court order and lawsuit, without independently establishing whether the outlets covered Xi’s arrival or assessing the truth of the competing claims.