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Three news organizations got to put their money where their mouths are on Saturday morning. Secret Service agents took the White House press credentials of CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters one day after President Trump banned the three organizations from the White House for what he called their fabricated coverage of the administration over the years.
CNN Senior White House Correspondent Betsy Klein told CNN’s Newsroom she was turned away from the White House gates on Saturday. “My press pass was taken by a Secret Service officer,” she said. Klein said she has been covering the White House since the Obama Administration. The two MS NOW journalists who were also not allowed into the White House on Saturday had their press credentials also taken by the Secret Service, the outlet said. Politico reporters were also denied entry with their press credentials taken by Secret Service agents.
Trump went on to explain in a Truth Social post why he has banned CNN, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC) and Politico from the White House. He said it is because of their constant “reporting” of “FAKE NEWS” and added that he is proud to make good on his promise. He also flagged a $8 million annual government subscription that Politico received under the Biden administration, calling it “corruption” and an attempt to keep a failing outlet alive with taxpayer money.
MS NOW responded to Trump’s announcement stating that the “White House belongs to the American people.” In a statement, the news outlet said that it “intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights” and that “all appropriate action will be taken” regarding the banning from the White House.
The First Amendment argument that the banned outlets will surely employ is easily rebutted by the existing body of law regarding the press and access to the White House and other restricted facilities of government. As the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals noted in Sherrill v. Knight (1977), press access to the White House is a “privilege” that can be revoked by the President and his Secret Service, as long as any such revocation is based on “reasonable” grounds. The Trump White House will have no problem establishing that it has acted reasonably in this regard.
The irony is rich. The very same outlets now wrapped in the First Amendment are the ones that spent years suppressing inconvenient facts, amplifying anonymous-source smears, and providing cover for the intelligence community’s partisan operations. CNN did not invoke press freedom when it helped bury the Hunter Biden laptop story in October 2020. Politico did not raise constitutional concerns when it treated the Steele dossier as verified intelligence.
The media class for too long confused access journalism with real journalism. Trump has set them straight. He also warned that other outlets may be banned in the future. The White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the move — but condemnation from the guild that gave awards for covering government leaks carries little weight with this administration.
These organizations may get short-term legal relief. But in the end they will be exposed for what they are: a hostile press corps that spent a decade working against one president of the United States and now cries foul when that president stops holding the door open for them.
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