MS NOW denied access to White House after Trump said he’s banning the network, CNN and Politico
By Brian Stelter, CNN
(CNN) — The White House has begun implementing the media “ban” that President Donald Trump announced on Friday. Legal experts say the action is unconstitutional.
A reporter and photographer for MS NOW were denied access to the White House grounds when they arrived to work Saturday morning.
“The officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled,” MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner said. “I asked why I was not able to get inside. He said it was above him.”
Gardner recounted what happened in a live report from outside the White House perimeter.
MS NOW signaled that it will take legal action to defend the rights of its reporters.
Trump said Friday afternoon that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were all banned, “effective immediately,” while complaining about “fake” news, his go-to phrase for dismissing unfavorable coverage.
Some White House staffers were caught off guard by the announcement. Journalists for the three news outlets remained at the White House through Friday evening.
But as they left the grounds for the day, they wondered if their security badges would work the next time, and MS NOW’s encounter on Saturday morning began to answer the question.
Gardner said her photographer colleague was also denied entry, but an MS NOW producer “scanned her badge, and it actually worked. She was able to get through and into the White House.”
Scores of journalists work from the White House campus on any given day.
MS NOW said in a statement Saturday morning that the network “intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy. We stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters, and our newsroom. We will continue to report on the President, the administration, and the issues that impact the American people.”
On Friday Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said “a ban like this would be flatly unconstitutional.”
“The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting,” Brown said. “This is textbook viewpoint discrimination and will be quickly struck down by the courts if challenged.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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