The Associated Press (AP) is suing three Trump administration officials in federal court for banning AP reporters from some of President Donald Trump’s events, the Oval Office, and Air Force One.
The AP alleges that the ban violates the First Amendment as well as the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.
The suit names three defendants: Trump White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
The AP is seeking an emergency hearing and a court order to declare the ban unconstitutional and require them to rescind it.
Some background: Earlier this month, the AP, one of the world’s largest news outlets, was singled out by the White House for continuing to use the phrase “Gulf of Mexico” even though Trump renamed the body of water “Gulf of America.”
Other countries do not recognize the new name, and the AP is a global news outlet with customers all around the world, so its stories – and influential stylebook – are still referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” while also acknowledging Trump’s decree.
What’s in AP’s legal filing: The White House has ordered its journalists “to use certain words in its coverage or else face an indefinite denial of access,” the AP’s lawyers wrote in the news organization’s complaint. “The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government.”
“The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American’s freedom,” they added.
The ban was first implemented on February 11. Top AP editors immediately described it as a First Amendment violation but tried to resolve the dispute behind the scenes before resorting to legal action.
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