CNN Threatens Lawsuit Over Continued Air Force One Access Ban

CNN is threatening further legal action against the Trump administration if its journalists are continuously denied access to Air Force One and the presidential press pool.

The network has been involved in a legal dispute with the White House since President Donald Trump issued a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters from White House grounds, citing their reporting as "fake news." While a federal judge previously granted the outlets a preliminary injunction against this ban, the White House has continued to exclude CNN from covering presidential travel on Air Force One.

CNN's attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., stated in a letter to the Justice Department that the network has historically held uninterrupted access to the Oval Office and Air Force One for 45 years, asserting that these spaces belong to the American public, not a specific administration. Boutrous argued that the White House's actions constitute a new, unstated policy to interfere with CNN's duties as part of the video pool, which includes major networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.

According to the letter, CNN has been denied access to Air Force One on at least four occasions since the initial ban, including trips for the U.N. General Assembly, a football game in Tennessee, travel to Texas and Oklahoma, and a recent trip to Georgia and Florida. CNN was the designated pool network for these events.

Boutrous noted that U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly had previously found that the media outlets were likely to succeed in their claim that the White House ban violated the First Amendment and due process. Despite this ruling, the White House has not provided an explanation for CNN's exclusion from Air Force One or the Oval Office.

"Efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful," Boutrous wrote. "If these actions persist, CNN will have no choice but to return to the court to defend its rights, and it is prepared to fight as long as is necessary to secure them."

The Justice Department had not responded to The Associated Press's request for comment regarding the letter, to which Boutrous gave the White House two days to respond. The initial ban on the news outlets from White House grounds was announced on September 18, with passes deactivated the following day.