Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that White House access is a privilege and President Trump can choose who flies with him, after CNN was barred from Air Force One. A judge ordered White House credentials restored to CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW for at least two weeks.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued the temporary restraining order while further litigation proceeds. Kelly wrote that, on the record before him, he was skeptical that national security was the White House’s actual motivation for restricting the outlets’ access.
Blanche told ABC’s This Week that the restrictions had a national-security component, arguing that news coverage made the United States look bad to friends and allies abroad. He said people overseas should hear accurate accounts of the administration. Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social: “FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!”
