A federal judge Monday denied an emergency motion from the Associated Press (AP) to restore its access to White House press pool events.
The AP made its motion in a suit filed in Washington against three White House officials, claiming the administration’s move violates the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first administration, denied the emergency motion from the AP but ordered expedited consideration of the matter by the court.
“As we have said from the beginning, asking the President of the United States questions in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right,” a statement from the White House read. “We stand by our decision to hold the Fake News accountable for their lies, and President Trump will continue to grant an unprecedented level of access to the press. This is the most transparent Administration in history.”
The White House began blocking AP reporters from the Oval Office over the wire service’s decision to continue using “Gulf of Mexico” despite a Trump executive order renaming the body of water the “Gulf of America,” which spurred most other news publications and map services to make the change.
The Trump administration later extended the ban on AP reporters to Air Force One, where the news agency has long had permanent seats.
The AP has insisted Trump’s removal of its access to certain White House events constitutes a violation of free speech.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” it said.
The White House has drastically expanded access to journalists, even creating a “new media seat” for reporters previously denied access by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle sat in the seat during White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s first briefing. Boyle asked the second press briefing question of the new Trump administration.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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