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Three news organizations banished from White House grounds asked a court late Monday to block enforcement of the action until the case is resolved, saying the Trump administration has \u201cpersisted in unpredictably and inconsistently implementing its ban\u201d despite a judge\u2019s restraining order — including by barring CNN from fulfilling its role in the White House television pool over the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe White House\u2019s words and actions leave little doubt that it will immediately reinstitute a complete ban of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO if allowed the opportunity,\u201d lawyers for CNN, MS NOW and Politico wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201dBecause the ban is an unlawful assault on the most fundamental First Amendment freedoms and will inflict irreparable harm on Plaintiffs and the public if not restrained, this Court should preliminarily enjoin its enforcement pending the resolution of this case,\u201d the filing said.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the plaintiffs reiterated that Trump\u2019s ban on the three news outlets was \u201ca blatant violation of the First Amendment and due process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president and his administration have continued to make clear that this ban has only one purpose: to punish reporting he doesn\u2019t like,\u201d said Theodore J. Boutrous, the plaintiffs\u2019 lead attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s retaliation and viewpoint discrimination, pure and simple,\u201d Boutrous said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. \u201cWith the district court\u2019s temporary restraining order expiring this week, it is critical to ensure that the White House continues to be prevented from implementing this unconstitutional ban on the free press.\u201d<\/p>\n
The filing came a day after the Trump administration made clear it was not backing down from its contention that the sudden ban, announced by Trump on Sept. 18, was justified.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to the White House, it is the people\u2019s house,\u201d Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interview with ABC, returning to an argument the administration has made since the beginning. \u201cIt is a privilege, and not a right, to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new 42-page filing Monday reiterated many of the arguments that the news outlets made in their original lawsuit against Trump and the White House, filed two days after the reporters were banned. It also added mention of the White House broadcast pool rotation, which has become the battleground in the last few days in the standoff between Trump and the media.<\/p>\n
When the ban was implemented, CNN was removed from its pool duties as part of the broadcast pool, which consists of the five main networks: CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News. In solidarity, the other networks decided to suspend the pool until CNN was allowed back in.<\/p>\n
On Friday, CNN was allowed to cover the president with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the National Archives. But on Saturday, the White House banned the network from Air Force One, preventing it from covering Trump\u2019s trip to a college football game in Tennessee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n