Trump bans CNN — then the White House circus gets stranger

Trump bans CNN — then judge orders them back in and the circus gets stranger

Trump's battle with CNN took another extraordinary turn as a federal judge ordered the White House to restore the network's access — only for reporters to be briefly turned away again.

The latest episode in the White House's increasingly bitter fight with the press began when Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the outlets of producing what he called 'fake news'.

The three organisations went to court, arguing that their exclusion violated their constitutional rights.

On Thursday, US District Judge Timothy Kelly — a Trump appointee — ordered the administration to immediately restore their access for 14 days, saying the outlets were likely to succeed in arguing that their press passes had been revoked without proper due process.

Then things got even stranger

Despite the judge's order, reporters from the three organisations said they were still blocked from entering the White House grounds later that morning.

The outlets went back to court seeking an emergency hearing, prompting the judge to demand an explanation from the administration.

Within hours, however, the White House said the confiscated passes had been returned and the reporters were allowed back in. The judge then declined to hold the emergency hearing because access had been restored.

And then came Xi

The timing could hardly have been more awkward.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Washington for a high-profile state visit, with Trump laying on the full White House treatment — military pageantry, a formal arrival ceremony, talks and a state dinner.

Trump subsequently complained that CNN had not covered the spectacle, accusing the network of deliberately refusing to give him credit.

But CNN said it had been allowed back into the White House only to find that it was not permitted to cover the state dinner itself. The network said it had been told its invitation covered a television camera and audio, but not a reporter or producer.

A judge appointed by Trump is now in the middle

The judge's intervention adds another layer to the dispute.

Trump's administration argued that access to the White House is a privilege rather than a right and accused the three outlets of violating standards of professionalism and publishing false or sensitive material.

The news organisations argued that they were being punished because of coverage Trump disliked.

For now, Judge Kelly has restored their access for 14 days while the wider legal battle continues.

The strange part

Trump wanted the media back inside.

The judge ordered them back inside.

They went back inside.

And then Trump complained that CNN wasn't covering his biggest made-for-TV event of the week — while CNN says the White House had restricted its access to the event in the first place.

Whatever happens next, the Trump-versus-CNN war clearly isn't over.

SOURCE