The cable news network announced on Wednesday that it plans to file an amicus brief in support of a CNN-launched lawsuit. The move illustrates a circling of wagons among major media outlets as the Trump administration continues to portray news organizations as “enemies of the people.” </s> Fox News is supporting CNN’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over the White House’s revocation of Jim Acosta’s press pass and plans to file an amicus brief in the case, according to a statement from the network’s president Jay Wallace.

“FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized. While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

 Show less

 Twelve other news organizations also announced they would be joining Fox in filing an amicus brief in support of CNN. </s> In a show of solidarity, major U.S. media outlets are backing the CNN’s legal fight against the White House for revoking the ‘hard pass’ of Jim Acosta.

CNN said it had asked the court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass to be returned to Acosta and would seek permanent relief as part of the process.

The White House Correspondents Association had also said that it “strongly supports” the suit against the Trump’s administration.

‘Hard pass’ gives holders expanded access to the White House complex.

Acosta’s pass was suspended last week after he sparred with Trump during a press conference.

Fox News, which anchors and shows are generally supportive of President Donald Trump and his policies, has filed a “friend of the court” brief in federal court in support of CNN’s lawsuit.

Fox News President Jay Wallace said Wednesday that the network would file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Wallace said in a statement: “Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponised.

“While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

CBS News also announced in a statement that it would be filing an amicus brief in support of CNN, saying it supports the White House Correspondents Association and CNN’s legal fight to restore Acosta’s access.

“We do not believe that revoking White House press credentials is an appropriate remedy for a disagreement the White House may have with a particular reporter.

“We intend to file a friend of the court brief in support of CNN’s lawsuit to defend its constitutional rights,” CBS News said in the statement.

A group of other news organisations, including Fox News, NBC News, the New York Times, the Washington Post and two wire services – AP and Bloomberg – also said they would file a joint amicus brief in support of CNN.

The law firm, Ballard Spahr, issued a statement on behalf of The Associated Press; Bloomberg L.P.; First Look Media Works, Inc.; FOX News; Gannett; National Press Club Journalism Institute; NBC News; The New York Times Co.; POLITICO; Press Freedom Defense Fund; E.W. Scripps Company; USA TODAY NETWORK; and The Washington Post.

“Whether the news of the day concerns national security, the economy, or the environment, reporters covering the White House must remain free to ask questions.

“It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons,” the statement read.

The White House has filed its memo of opposition against CNN and Acosta’s lawsuit ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that the First Amendment did not guarantee access to the White House.

In a 23-page memo, the White House argued: “The president and his staff have absolute discretion over which journalists they grant interviews to, as well as over which journalists they acknowledge at press events.

“That broad discretion necessarily includes discretion over which journalists receive on-demand access to the White House grounds and special access during White House travel for the purpose of asking questions of the President or his staff.

“No journalist has a First Amendment right to enter the White House and the [resident need not survive First Amendment scrutiny whenever he exercises his discretion to deny an individual journalist one of the many hundreds of passes granting on-demand access to the White House complex”.

The White House memo also claimed that Acosta was given sufficient notice about the suspension of his credentials, adding Acosta “received notice of the reasons for his pass’s revocation the night it happened and again the next day”.

The White House had said last week that Acosta’s ‘hard pass’ was suspended because he refused to give up a microphone to a White House intern who tried to take it away from him during the press conference.

The White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders accused Acosta of placing his hands on the intern and distributed a video of the incident.

Sanders called the lawsuit “just more grandstanding from CNN”.

Trump told the Daily Caller on Wednesday that “Jim Acosta is just somebody who gets up and grandstands, he doesn’t even know what he’s asking you half of the time”.

The president added that he thought reporters like Acosta were “bad for the country”. (NAN) </s> Fox News, US President Donald Trump's favorite news network, announced Wednesday that it will back CNN in its lawsuit against the Trump administration for having revoked reporter Jim Acosta's White House press pass.

Fox News said in a statement that it plans to file an amicus brief in the case, a figure that allows third parties to express their support for one of the sides. </s> Fox News joined a number of media outlets on Wednesday in announcing that they would back rival CNN’s lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Fox News President Jay Wallace said in a statement that the network intends to file an amicus brief with a U.S. District Court in the lawsuit.

CNN filed suit against the White House on Tuesday seeking the return of correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials, which were revoked last week after a testy exchange with President Trump Donald John TrumpTrump awards Medal of Valor, civilian honors to responders in Dayton and El Paso shootings Texas Democrats unveil 'path to victory' plan for 2020 The Hill's 12:30 Report: Congress returns with gun violence, funding atop agenda MORE during a press conference.

“FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized," Wallace said.

"While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

ADVERTISEMENT

NBC News, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, Gannett, The New York Times, Politico, USA Today, The Washington Post and other outlets also plan to file briefs supporting CNN's lawsuit, according to a release from Ballard Spahr LLP, a law firm representing the outlets.

“Whether the news of the day concerns national security, the economy, or the environment, reporters covering the White House must remain free to ask questions,” the news outlets said in a joint statement released by the firm.

“It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons. Our news organizations support the fundamental constitutional right to question this President, or any President.”

CNN has argued that the Trump administration violated Acosta's First and Fifth Amendment rights of free speech and due process. The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and is being overseen by Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, who scheduled a hearing in the case for Wednesday.

The White House dismissed CNN's lawsuit on Tuesday, accusing the network of “grandstanding." White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Acosta “is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment."

The White House has argued that it was justified in suspending Acosta's hard pass after he did not allow a White House intern to take the microphone from him during a press conference when Trump cut him off after he asked several questions about the migrant caravan and federal probe into Russia's election interference.

“After Mr. Acosta asked the President two questions — each of which the President answered — he physically refused to surrender the White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions,” Sanders said in a statement Tuesday.

--Updated at 11:43 a.m. </s> CNN is getting support from rival Fox News in its legal battle against the White House over the revocation of press credentials for reporter Jim Acosta.

Fox News President Jay Wallace issued a statement Wednesday that said his division will file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court that backs the lawsuit filed by CNN against President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend Acosta’s White House press pass after a conflict at a news conference last week.

“Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized,” Wallace said. “While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people.”

Fox News is among more than a dozen news companies and journalism organizations that plan to file friend of court briefs on behalf of CNN, including the Los Angeles Times, NBC News, the Associated Press, USA Today Network, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Gannett Co.

“It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons,” the entities said in a joint statement. “Our news organizations support the fundamental constitutional right to question the President, or any president.”

Norman Pearlstine, executive editor of the Los Angeles Times, said in a statement: “The Los Angeles Times supports the effort of CNN and Jim Acosta to have his access to White House press briefings fully restored. We plan to join with the other media organizations in filing an amicus brief in the lawsuit brought by CNN. We are committed to upholding free and fair access for journalists covering the White House.”

CNN’s suit filed Tuesday says the suspension of Acosta’s credentials violates the 1st Amendment’s protection of free speech. It also says the way the administration revoked the pass, with no direct notice to Acosta or a written explanation detailing the decision, violated the 5th Amendment’s protection of due process and the federal Administrative Procedures Act.

The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the AT&T-owned cable news outlet, which has been aggressive in its coverage of him and his administration. Trump frequently accuses CNN of disseminating “fake news” when he is angered by its reporting.

Trump’s criticisms of CNN are often echoed by Fox News prime-time star Sean Hannity, who is the president’s most voluble supporter on the channel.

9:45 a.m.: This article was updated with other news organizations filing amicus briefs on behalf of CNN.

This article was originally published at 8:50 a.m. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump gets into an exchange with CNN reporter Jim Acosta during a news conference a day after the midterm elections on November 7, 2018 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

Conservative news channel One America News Network on Thursday broke with most major media outlets by backing President Donald Trump in CNN's lawsuit seeking to restore the press credential of its White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

Acosta "has hindered our free press from functioning effectively during White House briefings," OANN argued in a court filing, calling Acosta's behavior "disruptive."

OANN's filing comes less than a day before a hearing in Washington, D.C. District Court on whether to grant CNN's request for a temporary restraining order that would return Acosta's "hard pass," which gave him access to the White House grounds. </s> A House of Representatives panel filed suit on Tuesday against the US Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, as it wrangled to obtain President Donald Trump's tax returns.

The Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee filed the lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Columbia after the Treasury Department refused a request for tax information about the Republican president.

"In refusing to comply with the statute, Defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said the committee believes it was the first time an administration has denied such a request.

The committee is one of half a dozen that are conducting investigations involving Trump and his administration, from his campaign's contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race to the sprawling business interests he has not divested since taking office.

The White House is refusing to cooperate with must of them, setting up potential legal battles like this one.

Democrats have pressed Trump to release tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts said could shed light on the president's business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.

The lawsuit, which also names Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said the administrations continued refusal to produce the materials "is depriving the Committee of information necessary to complete its time-limited investigation, thereby impeding its most basic constitutional functions."

Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.



Budget 2019: Find the latest news on ndtv.com/budget. Use the income tax calculator to learn about your tax liability </s> Fox News has joined several news outlets and the White House Correspondents’ Association in support of CNN’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump over the revocation of reporter Jim Acosta’s White House pass.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Fox News president Jay Wallace said, “FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized.”

“While we don’t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people,” Wallace added.

The Hill reported that CNN argued in its case filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights to freedom of speech and the press and due process under the law have been violated.

“NBC News, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, Gannett, The New York Times, Politico, USA Today, The Washington Post and other outlets also plan to file briefs supporting CNN’s lawsuit, according to a release from Ballard Spahr LLP, a law firm representing the outlets,” The Hill reported.

TRENDING: Here Are 12 Potential Trump Nominees for the Newly Vacated Attorney General Position

The news outlets said in a joint statement released by the firm, “It is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons.”

The Justice Department filed a brief in response to the CNN suit on Wednesday, contending, “No journalist has a First Amendment right to enter the White House.”

“The president and White House possess the same broad discretion to regulate access to the White House for journalists (and other members of the public) that they possess to select which journalists receive interviews, or which journalists they acknowledge at press conferences,” DOJ lawyers said in the court filing.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to CNN’s lawsuit, saying in a statement, “CNN, who has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment.

“After Mr. Acosta asked the President two questions—each of which the President answered—he physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions. This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters.

“The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional,” Sanders said. “The First Amendment is not served when a single reporter, of more than 150 present, attempts to monopolize the floor. If there is no check on this type of behavior it impedes the ability of the President, the White House staff, and members of the media to conduct business.”

White House Correspondents’ Association President Oliver Knox said, “Revoking access to the White House complex amounted to a disproportionate reaction to the events of last Wednesday.”

Veteran Washington journalist Chris Wallace said on Fox News last week that Acosta is guilty of being a “showboat” and rude to his fellow reporters by asking repeated questions and refusing to surrender the microphone; however, the Fox News Sunday host went on to argue that the White House should not have pulled his pass.

Wallace noted that CNN stood in solidarity with Fox, when the Obama administration, early in its tenure, tried to freeze out FNC from covering certain events.

Regarding Acosta’s performance last Wednesday, Wallace, who prior to coming to Fox in 2003 worked for both NBC News and ABC News, said, “You know I covered the White House for six years during the Ronald Reagan years, and along with Sam Donaldson, I think we were pretty tough, persistent aggressive reporters, but we never did anything like was Jim Acosta did yesterday. I think he embarrassed himself.”

“He was disrespectful to his colleagues in asking repeated questions, making it harder for them to get in a question,” the Fox News personality stated. “Jim Acosta strikes me more as a showboat, rather than he’d like to get answers to questions.”

Dana Perino — a former White House press secretary during the George W. Bush administration — responded, “I know that a lot of Jim Acosta’s colleagues are frustrated with him.” She observed that the Bush White House never dealt with a reporter acting in the manner Acosta has and questioned how his conduct furthers the mission of gathering the news.

Nonetheless, Perino did find pulling his pass “disproportionate” to his offense.

Wallace wondered in light of Acosta’s repeated behavior along these lines since Trump took office, “What do the bosses at CNN see as their mission? In this particular case is it to cover the news or to make a scene?”

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
One America News Network files an amicus brief in support of the Trump administration.