Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the White House on Saturday, a day after Donald Trump announced that the three organisations would be barred from covering his administration.
CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein and MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner said their press badges had been disabled when they arrived at the complex in Washington. Politico later said its White House reporter, Cheyenne Haslett, had also been turned away and had her credential confiscated.
Ms Gardner said she passed through two gates before reaching a checkpoint where her badge was due to be scanned. An officer then told her it had been deactivated and asked her to hand it over, saying the decision had been made “above him”.
Ms Klein said her credential was also taken from her. She was left holding an empty plastic badge holder and told to contact the White House press office.
The action followed a declaration by Mr Trump on Friday that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS”. He accused the outlets of reporting “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States.
Asked in the Oval Office how he justified the decision, Mr Trump replied: “Because they’re fake news.” He said the move was the result of what he described as a cumulative pattern of coverage over the previous two years, while suggesting that other news organisations could also be targeted.
The three organisations rejected the accusations and indicated they were prepared to challenge the restrictions. CNN said the ban was an “illegal assault” on its constitutional right to report without government interference, while Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger said the organisation would “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights”.
MS NOW said the White House belonged to the American people and that it would take “any and all steps necessary” to defend press freedom and independent journalism.
Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, called for the journalists’ access to be restored immediately. She warned that a precedent allowing one organisation to be excluded because of its coverage could eventually be applied to any outlet.
The White House did not provide a separate explanation for Saturday’s expulsions beyond Mr Trump’s public comments. The developments are likely to prompt legal challenges, particularly over access to the White House press facilities.
The confrontation is the latest in a series of disputes between the Trump administration and news organisations. Last year, the Associated Press was barred from some presidential events after continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico” rather than the administration’s preferred term, “Gulf of America”.
