CNN Sues Trump & 6 White House Officials For Revoking Jim Acosta's Press Credentials
By: Kayla Pasacreta
Cable News Network (CNN) is suing Donald Trump and six White House officials for revoking the press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta.
According to CNN,
“The lawsuit is a response to the White House’s suspension of Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass,” last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee.
Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away last Wednesday”
CNN further explained the lawsuit, “If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials."
Last Wednesday, Trump and Acosta got into a heated exchange after Acosta attempted to ask Trump a question about Mueller and the Russia probe. "You are a very rude person," Trump echoed after also calling Acosta a “mean, terrible person”. He went on to call the Russia Investigation a hoax, and bashed CNN, "I'll tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you working for them,"
The confrontation got so heated that a White House aide actually snatched the mic away from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later shared doctored, sped-up footage of Acosta trying to get the mic back, which CNN also references in its lawsuit. The sped-up footage made it look like Acosta aggressively put his hands on the aide.
Below is the unedited footage:
CNN released a statement defending Acosta after the exchange,
“This President’s ongoing attacks on the press have gone too far...They are not only dangerous, they are disturbingly un-American. While President Trump has made it clear he does not respect a free press, he has a sworn obligation to protect it.”
