Three U.S. news outlets sue Trump administration over White House ban

The complaint, filed on September 21 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asks a judge to declare the ban unconstitutional, halt its enforcement and order the restoration of the reporters' press credentials.

Named as defendants in their official capacities are Trump, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Secret Service Director Sean Curran and White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles. MS NOW is the cable news network that operated as MSNBC until November 2025.

In a joint statement posted on social media, the three companies said the White House had revoked their journalists' credentials without notice or process because it objected to their reporting. They said the lawsuit seeks to defend the principle that "the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."

Trump defended the move on Monday. Writing on Truth Social, he said the White House was not attacking the free press, which he said he cherishes. Instead, he said it was targeting what he called fake news, describing it as corrupt, coordinated and "a threat to our National Security."

Trump first announced the measure on September 18, saying the three outlets were banned "effective immediately" over what he described as their "FAKE NEWS" reporting and warning that other media organizations could follow.

At an Oval Office event later that day, Trump said no single story had prompted the decision.

"It's really just cumulative stories over the last two years," he said, accusing the outlets of deliberately publishing negative coverage of Republicans and his administration.

Asked whether the move was intended to intimidate the press, Trump said the outlets remained free to publish their stories, "but I don't have to let them into my, into the people's house."

When asked whether the ban would survive a court challenge, Trump replied, "Well, we'll see," and suggested the result could depend on the judge assigned to the case.

According to the complaint, the outlets' permanent White House credentials, known as hard passes, were deactivated overnight. On September 19, Secret Service officers denied entry to CNN's Betsy Klein, MS NOW's Akayla Gardner and Politico's Cheyenne Haslett and took their passes.

Klein, who has covered the White House since 2018, held a pass valid through August 2027. When Gardner asked why her credential had been disabled, an officer told her the matter was "above" him.

The complaint says 40 CNN journalists and 22 MS NOW journalists held active hard passes as of September 18. CNN had also been scheduled to serve as the rotating television pool broadcaster on September 21, supplying video of presidential events to other networks, but a White House press schedule released late on September 20 omitted the network.

The plaintiffs argue that the ban violated the Fifth Amendment because it was imposed without advance notice, clear standards or an opportunity to respond. They also allege First Amendment retaliation and unlawful viewpoint discrimination.

The lawsuit cites a 2025 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that classified the White House press area as a nonpublic forum, where access restrictions must still be reasonable and viewpoint-neutral.

It also points to federal regulations governing security clearances connected to White House press passes. Under those rules, the Secret Service is to base its decision on whether an applicant poses a sufficiently serious physical danger to the president or the president's family, with procedures providing for notice and an opportunity to respond before clearance is denied.

The plaintiffs argue that the rules do not provide for withdrawing access because of a journalist's reporting.

In his September 18 post, Trump also accused Politico of receiving an "illegal" $8 million government subscription under the previous administration. The complaint disputes that allegation and says it was not the basis for the ban.

The outlets say the exclusion is hindering their coverage during a busy week for the White House. Trump is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22 and host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. They also argue that Trump's warning of further bans could discourage other news organizations from critical reporting.

White House press-access disputes have reached federal courts before. In 2018, a federal judge ordered the temporary restoration of then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass after the White House suspended it following an exchange at a news conference.

In 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction blocking the suspension of journalist Brian Karem's hard pass, finding that he was likely to succeed on his claim that he had not received fair notice of the possible sanction.

The plaintiffs cite both cases in support of their challenge.

The outlets are represented by the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. signed the complaint.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington Memorial Bridge would also serve as a military facility housing drones, snipers and ammunition.