Justice Department reveals real reason Trump banned media outlets – it has to do with his new ballroom
The Justice Department has spoken out about Donald's Trump's attempts to ban three key US media outlets from the White House.
Earlier this month, Trump declared that he was going to stop CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from being able to access the White House because the outlets supposedly kept publishing 'fake news'.
CNN, MS Now, and Politico went on to sue the White House and argued that the decision violated protections under the First Amendment.
In a joint statement issued on September 21, they said: "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.
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"Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference."
While Trump initially said he had banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House because of alleged 'fake news', the Department of Justice has now come up with another excuse about the outlets' coverage having 'threatened national security'.
As per PEOPLE, CNN, MS Now, and Politico received letters from the White House which explained that their reporters 'exhibited behavior in violation of the standards of professionalism and decorum'.
Attorneys for the Department of Justice added that one the alleged violations was 'trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information'.
An example used of national security being 'threatened' was CNN's report about 'top secret' construction details related to 'the East Wing bunker' beneath the site of the ballroom’s construction.
A judge has since overturned the ban, however.
An order posted in the early hours of this morning (September 24) by US District Judge Timothy Kelly announced that he was temporarily overturning the ban and that the three news outlets should have their access restored for 14 days, BBC News said.
The ruling continued: "The record lacks factual support for Defendants' contention that the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the Court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds."
Despite Judge Kelly's ruling, reportedly the White House is still preventing journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politco from entering today.
Reporters alleged that they were being denied entry on Thursday morning, with some having their credentials confiscated, while others were granted access.
At the time of writing, CNN claimed that reporter Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were denied access to the White House grounds despite multiple attempts, one being after 9am today. But another CNN reporter as able to enter the White House using their pass after 6am.
MS Now and Politico have echoed similar sentiments about some of their reporters still not being allowed access to the capitol, where Trump is hosting the President of China, Xi Jinping, and Madame Peng today.
Topics: Donald Trump, News, US News
Niamh Shackleton