President Donald Trump doesn’t like the coverage of him by CNN, MS NOW and Politico — and as of Saturday, the White House started enforcing the president’s ban on those news organizations from accessing the facility.
CNN and MS NOW said their staffers were denied access to the White House Saturday morning.
CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein was blocked from entry along with others, and their badges were taken away.
CNN said in a statement: “Early today, CNN journalists were denied access to the White House grounds. CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right.”
MS NOW also said some of its journalists were denied access to the White House grounds Saturday morning. The network, formerly known as MSNBC, said it will “take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”
In a report on the network, MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Garnder described what happened when she arrived to try to get in to the White House.
“I showed my badge, and then when I was inside where we have magnetometers, I attempted to scan my badge, which we have to do to get into the White House grounds. It did not work,” Gardner said. “There was a red beeping light, and so the officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled. I asked why I could not get inside; he said it was above him.”
An MS NOW photographer also was denied entry and had their badge taken, according to Gardner. However, she said, an MS NOW producer was able to get through and into the White House.
Trump Friday said on social media that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico “effective immediately” from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS! Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America.”
Staffers from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were able to remain on the White House grounds on Friday.
The three news outlets have all said or suggested they will fight Trump’s ban, and the situation could lead to legal action as they seek to overturn the president’s block on their access to the White House. A Politico rep said Friday, “We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them.”
Trump told reporters at an Oval Office briefing Friday afternoon that there was no single story that triggered him to ban the news outlets, but was rather a cumulative effect of their “purposely negative” coverage. He also suggested that the New York Times and the Washington Post would be next in line to be barred from the White House.
CNN said Saturday, “We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account, and we will continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor. CNN stands fully behind our White House team.”
And here is the full statement MS NOW released Saturday: “Earlier this morning, MS NOW journalists were denied access to the White House grounds. The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars. MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy. We stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters, and our newsroom. We will continue to report on the President, the administration, and the issues that impact the American people.”