DOJ defends White House media ban, urges court to reject lawsuit

Signs of support for AP, CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO hang on the White House grounds on September 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice defended President Trump's recent media ban, arguing that reporting by CNN, MS Now and Politico on a wide range of issues — from the White House ballroom construction, to the reported depletion of ammunition during the Iran war, and the Republican midterm convention — jeopardized national security and spread falsehoods.

In a late Tuesday court filing, in response to the lawsuit filed on Monday by the three media organizations, the DOJ asked the court to deny the request of the news outlets to have their access to the White House restored.

The filing from the Department of Justice included White House letters, dated Sept. 22, where it accuses the three barred media outlets of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information."

The DOJ response came just hours before an emergency session by the federal court in Washington, D.C., planned for Wednesday afternoon in a case that will further test the First Amendment protections under the Trump administration.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against Trump on Monday for violating their constitutional rights after his administration revoked White House press credentials to the outlets' journalists.

"This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," said the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.

The lawsuit cites the news organizations' First Amendment rights not to be punished by the federal government over their news coverage. It also cites their Fifth Amendment rights to due process: the government cannot take away rights or privileges without any warning or process to intercede or appeal the decision.