CNN sues Trump for restored Jim Acosta press card

White House

The trial marks an escalation in the president's quarrel with the media.

CNN on Tuesday began a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and senior administration officials demanding the reinstatement of correspondent Jim Acosta's entry to the White House, a dramatic turning point in the president's several-year battle against the press that is setting up a judicial fight against the First Amendment.

"Although the lawsuit relates specifically to CNN and Acosta, it could have happened to anyone," CNN said in announcing the lawsuit, demanding a restraining order requiring Acosta's security vouchers to be returned. "If nothing is done, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous cooling effect for any journalist covering our elected officials."

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The White House revoked the powers of Acosta, known as "boilerplate", several hours after a heated exchange with the president at a press conference last week. Trump told Acosta that "CNN should be ashamed" for using it during the exchanges, which included a White House staff member who was trying to remove the microphone from Acosta's hand.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last week that Acosta's pass had been revoked because the journalist had "laid hands on a young woman", but any contact seemed accidental . CNN argued in its lawsuit that the pass was withdrawn in retaliation for aggressive coverage by the president.

"This harsh and unprecedented punishment is the culmination of years of President Trump 's hostility against CNN and Acosta, based on the content of their reporting – an unswerving attempt to censor the press and press charges. exclude journalists from the White House who challenge and challenge the president's point of view. see ", read the complaint.

CNN claimed in its complaint that Trump and White House staff had violated the rights of Acosta's first and fifth amendments, and the network said it was seeking the assertion that removing the powers of Acosta was unconstitutional.

In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, Sanders called the lawsuit "more pretense of CNN" and said the White House "will vigorously defend against this lawsuit".

Sanders cited dozens of rigid pass holders employed by CNN and said, "Mr. Acosta is neither more nor less special than any other media or journalist regarding the First Amendment. Sanders described Acosta refusing to give the microphone to the press officer and said: "This is not the first time this journalist refuses to give in to other journalists. "

She said: "The White House can only organize an orderly press conference and just when a journalist acts in this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional. The first amendment is not meant when only one reporter, more than 150 people present, tries to monopolize the floor. If there is no control over this type of behavior, it prevents the President, the White House staff and the media from doing business. "

This statement marks a radical change from Sanders' earlier comments on the subject, which focused on the contact between Acosta and the press officer, and not on his desire to ask additional questions.

Sanders' arguments that Acosta would "get their hands on" the aid were largely rejected and further weakened when she published what seemed to many a modified video of the incident, designed to make contact more meaningful than he was.

Trump said Friday that "Acosta was" a very unprofessional man "and had hinted that the pass had been withdrawn because he had acted irreverently in the White House. The president warned "there could be" other banned journalists.

In the lawsuit, CNN's lawyers wrote that "the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the conduct of the accused is that they revoked the powers of Acosta as a form of discrimination. based on the content and views and in retaliation for the exercise by the plaintiffs of the protected activity of the first amendment ".

CNN said in its complaint that its CEO, Jeff Zucker, had asked White House chief of staff John Kelly to reinstate Acosta's "pass," which allows journalists to go to work. enter and exit the White House complex freely and travel on Air Force One. Zucker told Kelly that the incident had been perceived internally as "a part of a" targeted harassment scheme "against CNN, a favorite target of Trump in his frequent fights against the media.

According to the complaint, White House officials told CNN and Acosta that they did not intend to return her credentials. The complaint also stated that administration officials had denied Acosta access to "daily passes", which would effectively ban him from White House land.

CNN sent Acosta to cover Trump's trip to Paris this weekend, but the reporter was informed that he would not be allowed to cover the events organized by the president, including a scheduled visit to a US military cemetery which was finally canceled. The French government has granted press powers to Acosta, but the secret services have always denied him access to Trump's events, according to the complaint.

The White House Correspondents' Association issued a statement on Tuesday supporting CNN's fight against the White House.

"Revoking access to the White House complex was a disproportionate response to last Wednesday's events. We continue to urge the Administration to reverse the trend and fully reinstate the CNN correspondent, "the organization said in a statement. "The President of the United States should not have the task of arbitrarily choosing the men and women who cover it."

Radio Television Digital News Association and its Voice of the First Amendment working group also supported CNN's complaint on Tuesday.

The executive director of ANRTDA, Dan Shelley, described as "scandalous and unacceptable" the sanctions inflicted on CNN and Acosta by the Trump administration.

In addition to Trump, the prosecution named Sanders, Kelly, Chief of Staff Bill Shine and the Secret Service and its director, Randolph Alles, as well as the secret service agent who revoked the Acosta pass , listed as "John Doe".

CNN's lawyers include Ted Olson, the former solicitor general of George W. Bush, known for his role in major Supreme Court cases, including Bush. v. Gore, following the controversial 2000 election and the lifting of California's ban on same-sex marriage.

"The Supreme Court has stated unequivocally that the First Amendment protects" a vigorous political debate ", including" a critical discourse with regard to people in public office, "Olson said in a statement. Mr. Acosta press references need to be re-established so that all members of the press know they will be free to ask difficult questions, challenge government officials and report on the nation's activities to the American people. "