A federal judge will rule on Thursday on CNN’s motion that would at least temporarily restore Jim Acosta’s White House press credentials.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly heard from CNN’s legal team and the Justice Department during a hearing that lasted nearly two hours.
CNN’s lead counsel Ted Boutrous argued that the revocation of Acosta’s credential was rooted in animus that Trump had over the reporter and CNN’s coverage.
“There’s no threat to the president’s safety,” he said. “There’s a threat to the president not being asked a question aggressively by a reporter.”
But the attorney for the government, James Burnham, argued that the president had discretion in who to give access to the White House, just as he can decide who to grant an interview to and who to ignore.
At one point, he said there is not a First Amendment right of access to the White House, and that “if the president wants to clear reporters from the White House grounds, he clearly has the authority to do that.”
More to come.