The Associated Press sued Top White House officials on Friday, accusing the Associated Press of violating the First and Fifth Amendments in the article by denialing access to a reporting event of retaliation for reference to the Gulf of Mexico. .
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It was named defendant Taylor Budwich, deputy chief of staff at White House. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt; Susie Wills, White House Chief of Staff.
In the complaint, the AP ordered the White House to use certain words in its reports, saying, “Sue to establish the right to editorial independence guaranteed by the US Constitution and to prevent administrative agencies from enforcing journalists.” He said he is reporting news only using government-approved languages.”
The lawsuit focuses on the Associated Press' decision to continue to mention the Gulf of Mexico in articles rather than the Gulf of America, as the waters were ordered by President Trump in an executive order on January 20th.
When asked about the lawsuit at a conservative political action meeting Friday afternoon, she said: “We'll see them in court.”
“We feel right in this position,” she added.
Leavitt said on February 11 that AP's Chief White House correspondent Zeke Miller on 11th, Trump's orders that the AP would be banned from certain areas of the White House as a member of the press pool. I've been notified. The organization used the term “Gulf of America.”
The complaint noted that AP, founded in 1846, was a member of the White House pool since its inception. The press pool is formed by a rotating group of journalists traveling with the president.
The AP published editorial guidance on the Gulf of Mexico last month in a post on its website. The organization said, “We will continue to refer to the waters by their original name, acknowledging the new name that Trump chose.” Because it is an international news source, and the executive order carried authority only within the United States. Other outlets with international readerships, including the New York Times, continue to mention the Gulf of Mexico.
Associated Press journalists are prohibited from attending many press conferences, including signing an executive order by Trump. On February 14, Deputy Chief of Staff Budwich announced in an X post that the AP will be blocked indefinitely from spaces like oval offices and Air Force 1, but the outlet has the White House I'm still qualified for. It's complicated.
Chief of Staff Wills emailed the Associated Press on Tuesday, and the White House was “influenced” because “the White House is “used by many people as a standard for writing and editing.” said he took action against it. It was misused and sometimes weaponized to push forward on a divisive, partisan agenda, according to the complaint. Wills “continues to maintain hope” once the name is updated in the U.S. Gulf Stylebook, the complaint said.
Associated Press executive editor Julie Pace was travelled to Florida to meet Wills on Wednesday, and was informed that Wills would discuss the issue with Trump, but Pace has not yet responded, the complaint said. I stated. .
The Associated Press said in the lawsuit that reporters and photographers remain banned from many locations accessible to members of the Presspool and other journalists with qualified White House press.
“The White House has never tried to prohibit the entire news organization from membership in the press pool to access the open spaces to other members of the pool,” the lawsuit said.
The AP asked the court to order the government to restore access immediately. He said the ban violated the Fifth Amendment due-process clause and the initial amendment that grants the right to free speech.
The legal action comes after an escalating standoff between the Associated Press and the White House. The Trump administration's stance has generated a significant amount of backlash from the freedom of other media organizations and press supporters. On Monday, 40 major media groups including CNN, Fox News, The Times and Washington Post sent letters to the White House in support of the Associated Press
“The initial amendment prohibits the government from asserting control over how news organizations make editorial decisions,” the letter said. “Efforts to punish journalists for these decisions are a serious violation of this constitutional protection.”
Michael Gold Reports of contributions.
