Attorney general Todd Blanche defended Trump’s White House ban on CNN, MS Now and Politico, calling access a privilege. A judge ordered credentials restored for 14 days; CNN said its journalists were barred from Saturday’s Air Force One press pool.
The ban began Sept. 19. Blanche said the outlets’ coverage was inaccurate and a “national security problem,” but cited no inaccurate report. Judge Timothy Kelly said the record contained no indication that national security concerns motivated the credential revocations; Trump had cited alleged untruthfulness and negative coverage when announcing the ban.
Before Trump’s second term, the White House Correspondents’ Association and broadcast networks that took turns providing camera crews chose correspondents for the presidential travel pool. After he returned to office, the White House took control of access to the Oval Office and Air Force One.
