AP sues Trump officials over Oval Office ban, citing First Amendment
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An Associated Press microphone. Photo: Chan Long Hei/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Associated Press on Friday sued three Trump administration officials for blocking its reporters from access to events like Oval Office meetings and Air Force One press pools, citing a violation of its First Amendment rights.
Why it matters: Efforts by Trump to block reporters during his first administration didn't pass muster in court, and First Amendment experts believe the principles established by those decisions should apply to the AP's case.
Zoom in: The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the the District of Columbia, names White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
- "The White House has ordered The Associated Press to use certain words in its coverage or else face an indefinite denial of access," the AP writes in its lawsuit."
- "The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government. The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American's freedom."
- The complaint asks the court to order that the government "immediately cease its retaliatory actions against the AP" and restore is access to the Oval Office, Air Force once and other limited spaces.
Catch up quick: The White House last week barred AP reporters from White House pool events at the Oval Office and Air Force One, and said it would ban the Associated Press from future events over the outlet's decision to continue using Gulf of Mexico rather than President Trump's preferred Gulf of America.
- AP said it would continue to refer to the region by the name it had for over 400 years "while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen."
- Dozens of news organizations, including conservative outlets Newsmax and Fox News, wrote a letter to the White House this week urging the White House to rescind the ban. Axios signed the letter, as did ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, The New York Times, and more.
The big picture: The decision to bar the AP follows a flurry of efforts by the White House and Trump Administration to apply extra scrutiny to the media.
- On Friday, the Defense Department said it has closed the Pentagon briefing room to journalists when no briefing is underway. The follows recent changes to Pentagon media office space.
- Other moves to target the press by the Trump Administration in recent weeks include FCC inquiries into Comcast and NBC, CBS, PBS, and NPR, and a Congressional hearing on NPR and PBS,
