CNN sues for Acosta access
Move comes after journalist barred from White House
The network oft-maligned by President Donald Trump files a lawsuit to get Jim Acosta’s credentials reinstated.
CNN sued the Trump administration Tuesday in an effort to reinstate the media credentials of its chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, escalating a dispute that has highlighted the increasingly tense dynamic between President Donald Trump and the media.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, the network argued that the removal of Acosta’s White House media pass constituted a violation of his First Amendment rights to freely report on the government. CNN also alleged the administration had violated Acosta’s due process rights by revoking his credentials without warning. A federal judge has granted CNN a hearing on the matter Wednesday.
Acosta, who has clashed with Trump on several occasions, angered the president at a formal news conference last week with questions about immigration and the special counsel’s investigation. The CNN correspondent would not relinquish the microphone after Trump attempted to move on to another reporter.
Hours later, the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced the administration had removed Acosta’s credentials, which allowed him access to the White House grounds. The administration claimed falsely that Acosta had placed his hands on a White House intern who had tried to take his microphone away during the news conference. “While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone,” CNN said in a statement. “If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials.”
Sanders responded shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
“This is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit,” Sanders said, noting dozens of other CNN journalists retain their White House credentials.
In her comment, Sanders made no mention of her original claim Acosta had reacted inappropriately with the intern. Instead, she wrote that “he physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions.”
“The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional,” Sanders wrote.
In turning to the courts, CNN has taken perhaps the most aggressive action yet by a news organization against a president who has systematically vilified journalists and media outlets since starting his campaign in 2015. Trump’s denigration of the media as “the enemy of the American people” — and his popularization of “fake news” as a way to dismiss critical coverage — has alarmed media freedom groups around the world.
The White House Correspondents’ Association issued a statement Tuesday in support of CNN and Acosta.