Cable News Network (CNN), has filed a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump for revoking the Press Pass of reporter, Jim Acosta
This follows an incident in the White House which saw Acosta rudely spoken to by Trump and an aide tried to pull his microphone away from him.
Hours later, a video of the incident made the rounds online with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slamming Acosta and accusing him of assaulting the aide who tried to wrest the microphone from him
He was subsequently banned and his hard pass, the press pass issued to White House correspondents, was taken away
CNN filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning
Acosta and CNN are the plaintiffs in the suit while the defendants are: President Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, the director of the Secret Service, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta’s hard pass away
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CNN also released a statement stating that it was seeking an injunction from the courts so that Acosta can resume his duties at the White House and also a ruling that prevents the White House from taking the reporter’s hard pass away again
“CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration this morning in DC District Court,” the statement read. “It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN’s Chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.”
The White House has so far not responded to the lawsuit.