"CNN" threatens to sue Trump administration again
CNN has threatened to take legal action again against the Trump administration, due to the continued ban on its journalists accompanying the president aboard Air Force One, despite a court order reinstating press credentials. The network's lawyer demanded written confirmation from the Justice Department by Thursday, warning of additional legal steps, and accused the administration of retaliatory measures.
CNN has threatened to take legal action again against the administration of President Donald Trump, due to the continued ban on its journalists accompanying the president aboard Air Force One, despite an initial court order reinstating White House press credentials for the network's correspondents and other media outlets. The network's lawyer, Ted Boutrous, demanded that the U.S. Justice Department provide written confirmation by 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 22, that the restrictions on its journalists' participation in presidential coverage have been lifted, warning of additional legal action if the exclusion continues. Boutrous accused the Trump administration of retaliatory measures against the network based on the content of its news coverage, and of discrimination by barring it from presidential trips. In a letter to the Justice Department, the lawyer argued that excluding the network based on its journalistic content is illegal, and demanded an end to the restrictions preventing it from fulfilling its role in the shared media coverage of the president's activities. The Associated Press, which reviewed the letter, reported that the network has been barred from accompanying Trump aboard Air Force One on at least four occasions, despite its turn to provide pooled television coverage. The lawyer stated that the White House has not provided the network with a direct explanation for its exclusion from these trips.