Attorney General Calls ‘One-Sided’ Press a National Security Issue as CNN Barred From Air Force One

WASHINGTON — US Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s decision to bar CNN from the television press pool aboard Air Force One, arguing that what the administration considers “one-sided” news coverage can amount to a national security issue.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week, Blanche backed the removal of CNN from the Sept. 26 trip to Neyland Stadium for the Texas–Tennessee college football game, saying the White House routinely decides which reporters travel with the president. “This wasn’t a one-time denial of CNN,” he told co-anchor Martha Raddatz, according to USA Today.

The clash follows an escalating dispute over press access. On Sept. 19, the administration banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, saying President Trump was “sick and tired” of what he viewed as inaccurate reporting. On Sept. 24, US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order restoring the outlets’ press passes, finding the revocations lacked “constitutionally adequate due process.”

But on Sept. 26, CNN reported it had been excluded from the Air Force One pool list despite its turn in the network rotation. When Raddatz pressed Blanche for examples of inaccurate reporting, he offered none specific, saying CNN’s coverage was “almost 100 percent negative toward the president,” CNN reported.

“It is a privilege. It is not a right,” Blanche said of White House access.

Sources:

• CNN: Blanche says ‘one-sided news’ is a national security issue worthy of barring press
• USA Today: Todd Blanche backs decision to block CNN from Air Force One