CNN MSNBC and Politico sue White House over media ban

CNN, MS Now and Politico filed a joint lawsuit on Monday, September 21, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after President Trump banned their reporters from the White House. Trump announced the ban Friday on Truth Social, effective immediately. The White House deactivated the reporters' press passes and on Monday pulled CNN from its television pool assignment. Fox's Bryan Boughton, who chairs the TV pool, emailed that no replacement pool would be put in place. Plaintiffs include reporters Akayla Gardner, Cheyenne Haslett and Betsy Klein. Defendants named are Steven Cheung, Sean Curran and Susie Wiles. Judge Timothy J. Kelly, confirmed 94-2 in 2017 after a Trump nomination, drew the case. The suit claims violations of the Due Process Clause, First Amendment retaliation for past coverage, and unlawful viewpoint-based exclusion from a nonpublic forum. Trump said media should not report fiction and lies and described an assault on fake news as a national-security threat. JD Vance said the outlets' stories on the president are about 92 percent negative and asked why a Republican White House would give them special access. Trump referenced an $8 million Politico subscription under Biden.