Associated Press Sues White House Officials to Restore Access

(Bloomberg) — The Associated Press sued three White House officials after its reporters were banned from covering events at the White House and traveling aboard Air Force One over President Donald Trump’s objection to how the news organization references “Gulf of America” in its style guide.

In a suit filed Friday in Washington federal court, the AP asked for an emergency hearing and a court order that would declare the prohibition unconstitutional and allow its journalists to regain access.

“The White House’s indefinite denial of the AP’s access was based on the content and perceived viewpoint of the AP’s reporting and editorial decisions, and constituted impermissible retaliation against the AP,” the newswire said in the complaint. 

The Associated Press is a permanent and original member of the so-called “pool” that provides round-the-clock coverage of the president. As a newswire, reporting from AP journalists participating in the pool are published in newspapers and on websites across the US and world. 

But last week, the White House barred AP print reporters from pooled events at the White House, citing a style guidance note that said that the “Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years” and that the organization would “refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.” 

White House officials noted that the style guide is the basis for many other news organizations — including Bloomberg News — and that its guidance is also utilized by non-media organizations.

AP refused the demand to alter the guide, and in the ensuing days, the White House moved to also bar the service’s photographers and radio reporters from serving in the pool and denied the organization access to seats aboard Air Force One.

In a radio interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump accused the organization of wanting “to be cute” and complained about his press coverage.

“I don’t think I’ve had a good story at AP in 10 years,” Trump said.

In AP’s complaint, they argued that the White House had violated First Amendment free press protections as well as due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. The suit names White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich as defendants in their official capacity. 

The judge assigned to the case is US District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee.

Other prominent media organizations and outlets have also protested the White House’s decision, saying it set chilling precedent that could impact all journalists covering the president. Traditionally conservative outlets including Fox News and Newsmax have joined those efforts, noting that they could be excluded from coverage opportunities in future administrations.

“All news organizations covering the White House are negatively affected when one peer outlet is singled out in a manner that crosses a constitutional line,” the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said in a letter to the White House signed by dozens of outlets, including Bloomberg News.

The targeting of the AP at the White House comes as other elements of Trump’s administration have ramped up confrontation with media outlets. The State Department earlier this week ordered embassies to cancel subscriptions of news outlets, and the Pentagon moved to rotate out organizations who have long held workspace. On Friday, the Defense Department implemented additional restrictions on the use of common press workspace in the building.

“To be clear, these actions together hamper the ability of news organizations to report in real time on the activities of the Defense Department,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement.

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