Dan Rather says Secret Service officers blocked reporters from MS NOW, and Politico from entering the White House on Thursday morning. The administration later restored their access after Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to act immediately and reverse the exclusion.
The disruption lasted from the previous Saturday, when Donald Trump barred the three outlets, until later Thursday, when the reporters were let back in. Kelly’s temporary restraining order remains in place for 14 days while the legal challenge continues.
Timothy Kelly order
Kelly ordered the White House the previous night to restore access after the outlets sued over the ban. He found they were likely to prevail on a Fifth Amendment due process argument and said existing D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rulings require advance notice and a chance to respond before journalists’ credentials are revoked.
The judge did not resolve the broader fight over press rights. He focused instead on the process used to revoke access, which turned the case on notice and response rather than on the broader First Amendment claim raised by the outlets.
Donald Trump and the ban
Trump said he was barring the three outlets because of what he described as a pattern of dishonest reporting about him and his administration. The outlets argued they were being punished specifically for their coverage, putting the dispute squarely on whether the revocation was retaliation or a credentialing decision.
Kelly expressed skepticism that national security concerns drove the revocations, a point that narrowed the administration’s justification as the case moved forward. For now, the reporters are back inside the White House, and the restraint on the ban stays in place for 14 days while the challenge continues.
