Ted Boutrous told the White House to end the Trump administration press ban by Thursday at 5 p.m. ET or face another trip to court. The attorney said the network wants written confirmation that the restrictions on Air Force One press coverage will stop.
In a letter to the Justice Department, Boutrous accused the administration of retaliating over 's reporting. He wrote that the restrictions are unlawful and said, “If these actions persist,” will have no choice but to return to court.
Boutrous Letter To Justice Department
Boutrous also wrote that the affected spaces “belong not to any particular president or administration but to all Americans,” while saying the president has fielded more than 4,700 questions in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One and on the tarmac during his second term. He said the president has fielded roughly 150 questions in the White House briefing room during the same period.
Brian Stelter reported the letter on Tuesday, and the timing came after a federal judge blocked the administration from reinstating its ban on, MS NOW and Politico last week. That ruling did not guarantee those outlets a place in presidential press pools, and has repeatedly been kept off Air Force One when it was scheduled to serve as the TV pool representative.
White House Response On Tuesday
A White House official responded in a statement to TheWrap on Tuesday, saying, “No person and no journalist have a constitutional right to access to the President's Oval Office, Air Force One, or other sensitive and private facilities.” The official added, “When publications lie, fabricate, and ignore the truth, proximity matters less and they can write their fiction from outside of these secure facilities.”
The dispute sits inside a separate legal battle over access to limited-capacity presidential spaces, including Air Force One and the Oval Office. The Trump administration appealed last week's preliminary injunction on Wednesday, and that order remains in effect while the case proceeds.
Thursday 5 p.m. ET Deadline
's deadline puts the next move on the White House. If the restrictions stay in place after Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, Boutrous has already said the network is prepared to return to court and keep pressing for access inside the presidential travel pool.
