White House bars CNN from Air Force One for Trump’s upcoming trip

The White House has removed CNN from the presidential media pool on Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to a college football game in Knoxville, Tennessee, assigning the seat instead to Real America’s Voice News, a conservative outlet. The position on the presidential jet had been held for a member of the U.S. network video pool; Real America’s Voice is not part of that pool.

Last week the White House barred CNN, MSNBC and Politico from White House grounds, prompting the three outlets to file a lawsuit accusing the administration of violating their First Amendment rights. In response to the initial ban, the other four major broadcast pool providers — Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC — declined to participate in the pool until access for the barred outlets was restored, a move described by pool members as an act of solidarity.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary order early Thursday that struck down the White House ban on press passes, saying the government provided no factual support that the outlets’ reporting had damaged national security. That ruling addressed press passes to the White House rather than the specific issue of pool duties or Air Force One access; plaintiffs’ counsel Theodore Boutrous Jr. said the plaintiffs believe the judge’s decision covers pool access as well.

The replacement of CNN on the presidential plane highlights a widening dispute over media access to the president and the mechanics of the network video pool, which is designed to distribute coverage among major broadcasters. The White House guidance appointing Real America’s Voice to the Air Force One seat comes amid ongoing legal and public contention over the administration’s restrictions on certain news organizations.