CNN, MS NOW, Politico Allowed Back in White House After Judge’s Order

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico have been allowed back into the White House after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore their press access.

The development came hours after reporters from the three outlets were initially turned away from the White House grounds despite the judge’s order.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly had ordered the administration to immediately return, reinstate and restore the White House hard-pass credentials of employees of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

The order followed a lawsuit filed by the three media organisations after President Donald Trump barred them from the White House and their journalists had their press credentials revoked.

Kelly issued a temporary restraining order that will remain in effect for 14 days while the legal challenge continues.

The judge said the media organisations were likely to succeed in showing that their press passes had been revoked without adequate due process. He also questioned the administration’s argument that national security concerns justified the ban.

Trump had initially criticised the three outlets for what he described as false and negative reporting. His administration later argued that their reporting raised national security concerns.

The three organisations challenged the ban, arguing that their exclusion violated constitutional protections and due process requirements.

After the judge issued his order, reporters from the outlets said they were still being denied entry to the White House. The organisations subsequently asked the court for an emergency hearing and notified the judge that some journalists had been turned away and that credentials had been confiscated.

The White House later said it had begun the process of restoring the affected press badges. Officials said the credentials were reactivated and that confiscated badges were returned to the journalists.

By Thursday afternoon, reporters from CNN and MS NOW were back on the White House grounds, while Politico also confirmed that one of its reporters had regained access.

The dispute has drawn wider attention because CNN is part of the rotating television press pool responsible for providing coverage of presidential events to several major US networks.

The media access controversy unfolded as President Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House and world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The court order temporarily restores access while the broader legal dispute over the White House’s decision to exclude the three outlets continues.