White House threatening to again pull Acosta press credentials: CNN

The White House is threatening to again pull CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials after a court-ordered temporary restoration expires at the end of the month, the network reported late Sunday.

“Friday’s court ruling means that a temporary restraining order is in effect for 14 days. But [White House] officials sent Acosta a letter stating that his press pass is set to be suspended again once the restraining order expires,” reported CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter.

Friday’s court ruling means that a temporary restraining order is in effect for 14 days. But W.H. officials sent @Acosta a letter stating that his press pass is set to be suspended again once the restraining order expires… https://t.co/yML7r7ymmM

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 19, 2018

CNN argued in a statement provided to Stelter that the action would threaten “all journalists and news organizations.”

{mosads}”The White House is continuing to violate the First and 5th Amendments of the Constitution,” the network stated. “These actions threaten all journalists and news organizations. Jim Acosta and CNN will continue to report the news about the White House and the President.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House, which pulled Acosta’s press credentials after a contentious exchange with President Trump during a news conference in which he refused to yield the microphone, for comment.

CNN on Monday requested an emergency hearing in U.S. District Court to address the White House’s plan to again pull the credentials.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly last Friday granted CNN’s request to restore Acosta’s hard press pass through a 14-day temporary injunction that expires on Nov. 30.

The ruling was limited, however, with Kelly stating that only Acosta’s Fifth Amendment rights to due process were violated. The judge, who was appointed by Trump, did not issue a ruling on whether the correspondent’s First Amendment rights were violated.

“I want to emphasize the very limited nature of this ruling,” Kelly said Friday.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement saying officials would “temporarily” reinstate Acosta’s hard pass following the ruling, setting the stage for another possible revocation.

“Today, the court made clear that there is no absolute First Amendment right to access the White House,” Sanders said. “In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter’s hard pass. We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future.”

Trump told Fox News’s Chris Wallace in an interview that aired Sunday morning that the ruling wasn’t “a big deal.” He also warned that if Acosta “misbehaves” again, “we’ll throw him out” or end the press conference altogether.

“Yeah, it’s fine, I mean it’s not a big deal,” Trump told Wallace. “What they said, though, is that we have to create rules and regulations for conduct, et cetera, et cetera. We’re doing that, we’re going to write them up right now. It’s not a big deal and if he misbehaves, we’ll throw him out or we’ll stop the news conference.”

Trump has not granted any interviews to CNN since taking office. His last with the network was as a candidate with Anderson Cooper in August 2016.

Updated at 10:00 a.m.