Hi Miriam,
Glad they filed suit.
I'm not a big fan of CNN as I believe they often go out of their way seeking
drama. But trump was and has been way over the top in his treatment of the
press.
George w. Bush often railed against what he saw as an unfair press core, but
he never used words like "enemy of the people." He did try to place limits
on them and was a bit rough at times during press conferences but I think
that he did respect the value of the First Amendment. Perhaps we should have
the first amendment tattooed onto his backside?
Bob Hachey
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 11:03 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] CNN Is Suing Donald Trump Over His Treatment of
Jim Acosta
CNN Is Suing Donald Trump Over His Treatment of Jim Acosta By Rafi Schwartz,
Splinter News
13 November 18
CNN announced on Tuesday that it was filing a lawsuit against President
Donald Trump and five other administration officials, after the White House
revoked correspondent Jim Acosta's "hard pass" press credentials last week.
Both the network and Acosta himself are named as plaintiffs in the suit.
Along with Trump, the suit names White House Chief of Staff John Kelly,
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Communications Director Bill Shine,
U.S. Secret Service head Joseph Clancy, and the unnamed Secret Service agent
who physically revoked Acosta's pass. The suit, filed in DC District Court,
alleges that by blocking his press credentials, the White House violated CNN
and Acosta's First and Fifth Amendment rights.
The administration's ham-fisted attempt to stifle Acosta is just the latest
in a long series of clashes between the White House communications office
and CNN's frequently grandstanding correspondent. After Trump yelled that
Acosta was a "rude, terrible person" during a press conference last week,
Sanders' office claimed Acosta had assaulted a White House staffer. She then
released a clumsily doctored video alleging to show supposed assault (the
video did not, of course, show anything of the kind).
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, CNN said the network:
..demands the return of the White House credentials of CNN's Chief White
House correspondent, Jim Acosta. The wrongful revocation of these
credentials violates CNN and Acosta's First Amendment rights of freedom of
the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process. We have asked
this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned
to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process.
In the lawsuit itself, CNN cited both Trump's explicit threats against
Acosta specifically, and journalists more generally:
While CNN and Acosta have been favorite targets of abuse by the
administration, the President's criticism has been directed at other news
organizations too. The President has actively criticized and discredited any
journalist or media outlet he believes might report something he considers
negative. As the President explained to Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes: "You
know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when
you write negative stories about me no one will believe you."
And the revocation of Acosta's credentials is only the beginning; as the
President explained, there "could be others also" who get their credentials
revoked.
I have reached out to the White House for their response to the suit, and
will update this story if they reply.
Update, 10:50 a.m.: The White House has responded to CNN's lawsuit in a
statement, calling it "grandstanding."
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