Rubio Defends Ban on 3 News Outlets From White House as Networks Withhold Pool Coverage
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Sep 22
Rubio Defends Ban on 3 News Outlets From White House as Networks Withhold Pool Coverage
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Sep 22
Summary
Three barred outlets — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — can still cover President Donald Trump from outside the White House, Marco Rubio said, defending the administration’s move as denying workspace rather than shutting them down.
Rubio said Trump believes the outlets’ coverage is biased and that they have no right to remain embedded in the building, framing the restriction as a White House access decision rather than censorship.
A lawsuit filed Monday by the three organizations says the ban violates due process and First Amendment protections by retaliating against protected newsgathering and speech.
Major TV networks, including NBC News, have refused to provide White House TV pool coverage at least through Monday, escalating a standoff ahead of Trump’s U.N. address and a summit with Xi Jinping later this week.