CNN has announced they are suing the Trump Administration to reinstate Jim Acosta as White House correspondent. Mr. Acosta’s White House press credentials were revoked after he refused to give up the microphone during a heated conversation at a press conference.
CNN claims the Trump Administration violated their and Jim Acosta’s “First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.” according to The Wall Street Journal, they are asking the judge to temporarily block the administration’s move and grant Mr. Acosta access to the White House:
“CNN said it filed a lawsuit against President Trump and his administration that seeks to reinstate the credentials of Jim Acosta, the cable news channel correspondent who was banned from the White House after clashing with the president during a press conference last week.
“The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process,” CNN said in a statement.
The lawsuit, filed in D.C. District Court, asks for a restraining order requiring the return of Mr. Acosta’s White House press pass.
When the White House suspended Mr. Acosta’s pass last week, it said it did so because he had placed his hands on an intern who was trying to take the microphone from him after Mr. Trump indicated he was no longer taking his questions. Video of the altercation shows only incidental contact. CNN has said this fight wasn’t about the intern but rather about the president’s contempt for Mr. Acosta and CNN.
“While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials,” CNN said.”
