CNN is Whine Central

Cable News Network and Abilio James Acosta file an 18 page complaint in DC Federal Court complaining that his 'press credentials' and White House 'hard pass' were unjustly revoked, thus limiting his and CNN's ability to provide the world with their version of FAKE NEWS about the current administration.

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CNN SUES WHITE HOUSE TO REGAIN ACOSTA'S CREDENTIALS


MEDIA  By David Bauder Associated Press  AJC  11-14-18

NEW YORK - CNN sued the White House Tuesday, demanding that correspondent Jim Acosta’s credentials to cover the White House be returned because their revocation violates the constitutional right of freedom of the press.

The administration stripped Acosta of his pass following President Donald Trump’s contentious news conference last week, where Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn’t want to hear anything more from him.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said “this is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against his lawsuit.”


Trump has made CNN and its reporters a particular target of his denunciation of “fake news” and characterization of the media as an enemy of the people. CNN CEO Jeff Zucker, in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly, called it a “pattern of targeted harassment.”

The White House initially contended it was Acosta’s refusal to give up the microphone that led to his banishment; CNN said it’s apparent the president didn’t like his questions.

“Mr. Acosta’s press credentials must be restored so that all members of the press know they will remain free to ask tough questions, challenge government officials and report the business of the nation to the American people,” said Theodore Olson, former U.S. solicitor general and one of CNN’s lawyers on the case.

The White House Correspondents’ Association backed the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., district court.

“The president of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him,” said Olivier Knox, president of the correspondents’ group.

CNN said Acosta was given no warning of the action, and no recourse to appeal it. Acosta traveled to Paris to cover Trump’s visit there this weekend and, although given permission by the French government to cover a news event, the Secret Service denied him entrance, the company said.

“Without this credential, a daily White House correspondent like Acosta effectively cannot do his job,” CNN’s lawsuit said.

CNN asked for an injunction to immediately reinstate Acosta, as well as a hearing on the larger issue of barring a reporter.

In an effort to prove the administration’s case last week, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders distributed via Twitter a doctored video sped up to make Acosta’s physical actions toward the intern seem more threatening.

That wasn’t mentioned by Sanders in a statement Tuesday. She cited his refusal to yield to other reporters after he asked Trump two questions.


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Bob Woodward attacks CNN for suing The White House saying media figures have become 'emotionally unhinged'

NICK CARDONA  Nov 14th 2018 8:04AM

Legendary journalist and author Bob Woodward is not joining his colleagues in their support of CNN’s Jim Acosta. 

After Acosta had his hard pass to the White House suspended, CNN filed a lawsuit against the White House. 

The suit alleges that Acosta’s first and fifth amendment rights were violated. 

Woodward attacked CNN arguing too many media figures quote, “have become emotionally unhinged.” 

He was speaking at the Global Financial Leadership Conference in Florida…he went on to say, “the remedy isn’t suing the administration….it’s more serious reporting about what he’s doing.”

NBC News reporter Dylan Byers was the first one to draw attention to the comments. 

This all comes after a tumultuous press conference where Acosta, according to the White House, refused to give up his microphone after asking the President a barrage of questions. 

Trump said: “CNN should be ashamed of itself having you work for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.” 

Woodward argued that CNN was taking Trump’s bait by pursuing a federal case, adding, “This is negative. Trump is sitting around saying, ‘This is great.’”

The White House saying the lawsuit is just more grandstanding from CNN.


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White House says it has 'broad discretion' on press access

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CNN's Jim Acosta walks into federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, to attend a hearing on legal challenge against President Donald Trump's administration. Trump's administration contends it has "broad discretion" to regulate press access to the White House as it fends off a legal challenge from CNN and other outlets over the revocation of Acosta's "hard pass." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

• Manuel Balce Ceneta

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump watches as a White House aide reaches to take away a microphone from CNN journalist Jim Acosta during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington. CNN is suing the Trump administration, demanding that Acosta’s press credentials to cover the White House be returned. The administration revoked them last week following President Trump’s contentious news conference, where Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn’t want to hear anything more from him. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

• Evan Vucci

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2018, file photo, CNN journalist Jim Acosta does a standup before a new conference with President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House in Washington. CNN sued the Trump administration Tuesday, demanding that correspondent Jim Acosta’s credentials to cover the White House be returned because it violates the constitutional right of freedom of the press. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

• Evan Vucci

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WASHINGTON (AP)  11-14-18  — President Donald Trump's administration contends it has "broad discretion" to regulate press access to the White House as it fends off a legal challenge from CNN and other outlets over the revocation of journalist Jim Acosta's "hard pass."

In a legal filing ahead of a Wednesday hearing on CNN's request for a temporary restraining order to restore Acosta's access, the government argues it "was lawful" to punish Acosta for his behavior during a contentious Trump press conference last week.

It rejects the idea that Acosta was "otherwise eligible" for White House access, saying: "The President and his designees in the White House Press Office have exercised their discretion not to engage with him and, by extension, to no longer grant him on-demand access to the White House complex so that he can attempt to interact with the President or White House officials."

Trump himself, in an interview published Wednesday, was uncertain how the court fight would end, saying, "We'll see how the court rules. Is it freedom of the press when somebody comes in and starts screaming questions and won't sit down?"

Trump told The Daily Caller that "guys like Acosta" were "bad for the country. ... He's just an average guy who's a grandstander who's got the guts to stand up and shout."

The White House's explanations for why it seized Acosta's "hard pass," which grants reporters as-needed access to the 18-acre complex, have shifted over the last week. Acosta has repeatedly clashed with Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in briefings over the last two years.

The Associated Press joined with a group of 12 other news organizations planning to file an amicus brief in the case Wednesday.

"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 law firm Ballard Spahr said in a statement on behalf of the news organizations.

Fox News President Jay Wallace said Secret Service passes for working White House journalists "should never be weaponized." Fox News was one of the organizations in the amicus filing.

Wallace said while Fox News doesn't condone the "growing antagonistic tone by both the president and the press at recent media avails," it supports "access and open exchanges for the American people."