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CNN is suing Trump and his aides for banning reporter Jim Acosta from the White House and taking away his press credentials.

CNN reported:
CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s access to the White House.

The lawsuit is a response to the White House‘s suspension of Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass,” last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN‘s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, the director of the Secret Service, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away last Wednesday. The officer is identified as John Doe in the suit, pending his identification.

Legal experts had strongly advised CNN to sue because they have a strong case and good odds of winning in court. Kellyanne Conway admitted that the video that the White House use to justify banning Acosta was altered, but she tried to change the definition of the word altered to protect Trump.

CNN Is Suing To Protect The Press From Future Trump Abuses

There is a precedent at stake in the Acosta matter that is bigger than one reporter losing his credentials. The Trump White House had to be held accountable. If they got away with banning Acosta, they would be emboldened and ban other journalists. CNN had to sue Trump for the sake of the First Amendment. Without action, Acosta’s ban would have become a precedent and given Trump justification for future.

CNN and other press organizations aren’t giving Trump what he wants. The president desperately craves a war of words with the press that he can use to turn journalists into the enemies of the people. Organizations have been ignoring Trump’s taunts, but they are reporting the facts, and when necessary, taking action to protect constitutional rights, and check and out of control president.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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