00:00The feud continues between the media and the White House, with CNN filing a suit Tuesday to
00:04reverse the Trump administration's decision to suspend Chief White House Correspondent Jim
00:08Acosta's hard pass, which grants access to the building. The statement issued by the network
00:13read, in part, CNN filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in D.C. District Court.
00:18It demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White House
00:21Correspondent Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta's
00:27First Amendment rights of freedom of the press and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.
00:31CNN continued,
00:32We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass to be returned to Jim
00:37and will seek permanent relief as part of this process. While the suit is specific to CNN and
00:42Acosta, this could have happened to anyone. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House
00:47would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers elected officials.
00:51The lawsuit was filed against President Trump, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders,
00:55Communications Director Bill Shine, Chief of Staff General John Kelly, the Director of the
01:00Secret Service, and an unidentified Secret Service agent.
01:03Sanders announced the suspension in a statement last Wednesday night, alleging that Acosta
01:07placed his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern during a
01:11press conference after the midterm elections. Acosta responded by calling the White House's
01:16statement a lie, while CNN and Acosta's peers argued that he did nothing wrong and was simply
01:21attempting to keep his microphone and asked the president a second question. Meanwhile, the White
01:25House has responded to the lawsuit in a statement, labeling it as just more grandstanding from CNN
01:30and adding, we will vigorously defend against this lawsuit. CNN, who has nearly 50 additional
01:36hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter
01:40with respect to the First Amendment, Sanders said in a statement. After Mr. Acosta asked the
01:45president two questions, each of which the president answered, he physically refused to surrender a
01:50White House microphone to an intern so that other reporters might ask their questions. This was not
01:55the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters. On Wednesday
02:00night, Sanders tweeted out a video of Acosta's interaction with the intern in question that appeared
02:04to have been doctored to make the encounter look more aggressive than it actually was. In the lawsuit,
02:09CNN said that Acosta is widely reputed as a diligent and thorough reporter for one of the nation's
02:14most respected and widely watched networks. The argument was also made that the White
02:18House is Acosta's workplace and that his hard pass is mandatory. Without this credential, a daily
02:24White House correspondent like Acosta effectively cannot do his or her job. Without a hard pass,
02:29a reporter may well miss the newsworthy events, particularly including the many notable events
02:34that occur with little notice. A hard pass is effectively required to be a White House
02:38correspondent for a national news organization such as CNN. The suit also alleges that both the White
02:44House and Secret Service did not and have not follow due process in denying Acosta's access
02:48and states that CNN President Jeff Zucker emailed Kelly last Thursday and demanded that Acosta's
02:53access be reinstated. This is not a step we have taken lightly, but the White House action is
02:58unprecedented, Zucker wrote in an internal memo to staff on Tuesday. The First Amendment grants the
03:03rights of all journalists to hold those in power accountable and ask tough questions. It's what Jim
03:09and all of his colleagues who cover the White House and the administration do with integrity and
03:13professionalism. As we have said before, we will always stand up for our rights. That is why we have
03:18filed suit. To read more on this story, head to THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lindsay
03:23Rodriguez.
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