The White House blocked journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from attending Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite a judge ordering that the ban be temporarily lifted.
The three news organisations have sought an emergency court hearing, saying their reporters were still denied access to the White House complex for the high-stakes summit.
Their filing said Secret Service agents had also “confiscated the hard passes of journalists whose hard passes had not previously been confiscated”. CNN reporter Betsy Klein, whose pass was taken at the weekend, was allegedly refused entry when she asked for it to be returned.
Judge Timothy Kelly ruled late on Wednesday that the restrictions imposed on the three outlets were likely to be unconstitutional. He barred the White House from enforcing the ban for 14 days.
Despite the ruling, CNN and MS NOW broadcast from streets outside the White House on Thursday morning. No cameras from the main US television networks were present as Mr Trump welcomed Mr Xi, with the broadcasters continuing a boycott in solidarity with CNN.
A select group of print reporters and photographers, known as the daily pool, was allowed inside. Fox News used an aerial view of the White House and file footage while reporting on the summit and other news.
Mr Xi’s arrival was shown on the White House’s official social media channel. The visit was his first to the White House since 2015, when Barack Obama was president.
The White House restrictions began on Saturday after Mr Trump objected to the three organisations’ reporting. He said there had been no specific trigger beyond his accusations of “fake news”.
After the arrival ceremony, Mr Trump and Mr Xi delivered statements in the White House Grand Foyer, also broadcast through the White House’s social media feeds rather than US television networks.
Mr Trump praised what he called his “truly great friendship” with the Chinese president and said: “If we focus on our common interests, I am confident there is much we can achieve.”
Mr Xi called for stronger communication between the two countries, saying they should “steer the giant ship of the US-China relationship on a steady course towards the future”. He added: “President Trump and I have respect for each other. We have built personal rapport and stayed in touch.”
