White House Protects Press Freedom By Removing Press
The White House expanded its defense of press freedom Wednesday, arguing that journalists exercise their constitutional rights most responsibly when stationed somewhere they cannot see, hear or question President Donald Trump. CNN, MS NOW and Politico asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to preserve their White House access while they challenge Trump’s September 18 ban. Kelly temporarily restored their credentials on September 24, citing the administration’s failure to provide clear standards or basic due process, a procedural technicality sometimes called the Constitution. The outlets returned to the White House, where officials continued applying the policy according to a rigorous system of presidential mood, favorable headlines and whether anyone had recently described a social-media post as “rambling.”
The news organizations are seeking a preliminary injunction after accusing the administration of enforcing the ban unpredictably, including by excluding CNN from a television pool assignment. White House lawyers said the inconsistency proves the policy is not discriminatory because nobody, including the officials enforcing it, can predict who will be punished next. They also argued that access to the president is a privilege rather than a right, particularly when reporters intend to misuse that privilege by recording his words and later repeating them in the same order. The administration said restricting journalists protects national security by preventing notebooks, cameras and human memory from capturing classified material such as remarks the president delivered publicly five minutes earlier.
Trump defended the policy as a necessary safeguard against the dangerous radicalization of Americans through direct observation. “Nobody believes in a free press more than me, but freedom means the president freely chooses who enters, what they ask and whether reality is being very unfair,” Trump said. “The First Amendment is called first because I get the first amendment to every story. The finest legal scholars tell me this constantly.” Kelly must now determine whether White House access can depend on favorable coverage or whether the administration must endure the constitutional indignity of allowing journalists onto government property without first proving they enjoyed the president’s latest post. Until then, the White House will preserve press freedom by ensuring the press remains free of information.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.