Posted on 11/14/2018 11:51:54 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
President Trump on Wednesday expressed hope the White House would defeat CNN in a lawsuit over his decision to suspend the press credentials of reporter Jim Acosta, whom he called “bad for the country.”
In an interview with The Daily Caller, Trump railed against Acosta, calling him a “rude” person whose “grandstanding” is unfair to the broader White House press corps.
“I really think that when you have guys like Acosta, I think they’re bad for the country,” Trump told the conservative website. “He’s just an average guy who’s a grandstander who’s got the guts to stand up and shout.”
Trump was uncertain when asked if he believes he will prevail in the lawsuit brought by CNN, which alleges the White House violated Acosta's Constitutional rights by stripping his pass.
“I don’t know, we should,“ Trump said. “We’ll see how the court rules. Is it freedom of the press when somebody comes in and starts screaming questions and won’t sit down?”
Trump's latest comments come hours before a federal judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on CNN's request to immediately restore Acosta's press pass, where the White House's shifting explanations for why it revoked the reporter's pass could come into play.
The White House set off a political and legal firestorm last week when it revoked Acosta's credentials following a contentious exchange with the president at a White House news conference.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders initially justified the decision by claiming Acosta placed his hands on a young female intern who tried to take away a microphone from the reporter, even sharing an altered video to back up her case.
But Sanders backed away from that claim on Tuesday after CNN filed suit, saying in a new statement that Acosta “physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern” while arguing the suspension was nonetheless justified.
Trump on Wednesday said Acosta “was very rude to the young lady,” but the Caller reported he was more focused on the CNN reporter's style.
The Justice Department on Wednesday pushed back against CNN's request to immediately reinstate reporter Acosta's press pass, arguing it has “broad discretion” on whether to allow certain reporters into the White House.
“No journalist has a First Amendment right to enter the White House,” three Justice Department lawyers wrote in a court filing.
Many legal experts believe, however, that CNN has a strong case that Acosta's First and Fifth Amendment rights to free speech and due process, respectively, were violated.
Multiple news outlets, including Fox News and The New York Times, said Wednesday they plan to file legal briefs in support of CNN.
This of course has nothing to do with Acosta or any journalist. CNN and the rest want this to get a ruling. If they get a quick win here by the first judge, then Trump can appeal it, which is exactly what they would want him to do, then they can make it an ongoing issue.. or he can accept it, then Acosta is now the hero.
Then we get round 2, where Trump will look like sour grapes if he loses.
If he loses, he has to let the guy back in, and let him ask a question. In time, he’ll do the same thing.
Sue CNN for being ridiculous.
Acosta was awesome during the historic signing with North Korea. President Trump and President Kim were signing the treaty with cameras clicking and Acosta hollering questions at President Trump. It was embarrassing for America.
Acosta later said “If they won’t call on me, I’ll get my questions in anyway” (paraphrasing)
Nope, this one goes all the way to the SC.
Time to have a clear limitation put on the arrogant presumptions of “the Press”. They have assumed to themselves powers that are NO WHERE in the US Constitution. It time for the Court to stop these abuses of the 1st Amendment by “the Press”.
Is this true? I thought they just took his hard card. I believe Jim can still get in but has to stand in line every time and get a one time pass.
NOTHING there that that grants the Corporate media the powers they arrogant declare they have. Time for them to be stepped on like the roaches they are.
Now NUT piling on.
NY TIMES
Notice The Hill slipped the false narrative that the video was altered. Fake News. It was just zoomed in.
The same CNN so vocally defending the 1st amendment for their clown Acosta has no problem with eliminating the 2nd amendment.
We need to limit high-capacity questions from the likes of Acosta. No citizen needs the weaponized rhetoric of mass destruction.
Announce at the beginning of the press conference that they will immediately hand the microphone to an intern after they’ve asked the one question they are allowed so as to allow as many reporters as possible to ask a question.. If they refuse to follow simple directions their hard pass will be revoked.
Huh?
I typed nyt but auto check had it come out as nuts. Supposedly nytimes is adding itself to amicus brief therefore piling on.
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