4,700 questions: Media outlets sue for pool access to Oval Office and Air Force One

The White House is blocking three major media outlets from serving as pool reporters in the Oval Office and on Air Force One, a dispute that centers on 138 Oval Office events and 4,700 questions asked since January 2025. CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed an amended complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, seeking to regain these specific pool duties after President Donald Trump banned them from the grounds in September.

The outlets argue that while a federal judge ordered the White House to restore their general access, the administration has continued to exclude them from pool assignments. This exclusion prevents them from sharing information and images with other journalists, a practice that serves as a primary source of information for the public.

Ted Boutrous Jr., an attorney for the media companies, stated that the White House has violated the First Amendment and due process. He claimed the exclusions are intended to punish and chill coverage that the president dislikes. Boutrous noted that the White House has blocked these outlets from the very locations where the president most frequently engages with the press.

The amended complaint alleges that the ban constitutes unlawful retaliation for protected First Amendment activity. The suit claims the White House is discriminating based on the perceived editorial viewpoint of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico because the president dislikes their content. The legal filing argues that once the White House opens these spaces to selected journalists, it cannot exclude specific outlets solely based on their coverage.

CNN has served as a designated television network pooler aboard Air Force One for more than four decades. Since the ban was announced on Sept. 18, the White House has repeatedly barred CNN from fulfilling this role. MS NOW has not participated in the secondary TV pool since that date, and Politico has been barred from two scheduled out-of-town print pool assignments. The complaint states that defendants have offered no official explanation for these exclusions.

Judge Tim Kelly, who appointed the outlets' access restoration, issued a preliminary injunction on Oct. 13 that indefinitely bars the White House from reinstituting the ban. However, his prior orders did not explicitly require the White House to restore access to the Oval Office or Air Force One. The new lawsuit seeks to close this gap by arguing that the limited ban violates the Due Process Clause.

The suit claims the outlets have liberty and property interests in their press credentials. It argues that the current exclusion deprives them of these interests without advance notice or an opportunity to be heard. The White House previously stated that what it deems 'Fake News' has no place demanding a spot in the Oval Office, a declaration the plaintiffs cite as evidence of viewpoint discrimination.

The legal battle involves the president, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, and Secret Service Director Sean Curran. The outlets originally sued on Sept. 20, two days after journalists from the three organizations were denied access and had their passes taken away. Judge Kelly initially issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 23, mandating that the White House restore access for at least 14 days.