CNN and MS Now reporters were excluded from Thursday’s White House state dinner for Xi Jinping despite a federal judge’s order restoring access for 14 days. CNN was offered entry only to a photographer and audio technician; MS Now reporter Laura Barrón-López was denied.
Trump ordered CNN, MS Now and Politico barred from the White House last Saturday, accusing them of what he called “FAKE NEWS” reporting. Judge Timothy Kelly ordered their access restored for 14 days, saying the outlets were likely to succeed in showing their passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate notice and an opportunity to be heard. He called the White House’s professionalism standard vague and questioned whether national security—the Justice Department’s stated rationale—was the ban’s actual motivation.
White House press operations director Micah Stopperich said badge restoration began at 7:25 a.m. Thursday; the Secret Service told her the badges were reactivated at 9:07 a.m., and confiscated passes were dropped at the building entrance just before 10 a.m. Lawyers for the outlets said journalists had been turned away earlier that morning. The White House streamed Xi’s arrival on YouTube, while major U.S. networks did not provide live video in solidarity with CNN. A preliminary-injunction hearing is to be expedited within the 14-day period, and Trump said he would appeal an adverse ruling.
