The White House Correspondents’ Association responded to Donald Trump’s plan to ban journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House press pool, calling out the move as a Constitutional breach.
“The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a ‘ban on the free press,’” WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich said in a Friday statement. “The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask.”
Heinrich, a Fox News senior White House correspondent and co-anchor of “The Sunday Briefing,” released the statement hours after Trump went on Truth Social to share his plans to revoke the press rights of journalists from the select three organizations. The president also warned that other similar bans were soon on the way.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
“This is about more than the rights of journalists,” Heinrich wrote. “It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office. The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW and Politico who are being singled out for doing their jobs.” You can view the full statement below.
The WHCA wasn’t alone in sharing words about Trump’s plans. MS NOW journalist Nicolle Wallace went on “Deadline White House” to say that Trump “wants people to be afraid to cover him aggressively, and that, to me, seems like the intent of today’s ban.” Katie Couric, meanwhile, went on Instagram to say, “You cannot silence a free press,” before sharing quotes on the matter from both John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush. You can view her full statement below.
A representative for the White House did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
