The judge refuses to intervene in the AP claim on Trump’s access

A federal judge cleared on Monday the way for the White House to continue preventing Associated Press from covering the news events with President Trump as the fight for freedom of expression develops in court.

The Association press demanded several Top Trump administration officials Last week, accusing them of violating the first and fifth amendments by expelling their reporters from press events. The White House has opposed the decision of the wire service to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage, Instead of calling the Gulf of America to the water body.

Judge Trevor N. McFadden of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, said the circumstances of Associated Press “were not the type of serious situation” that would require an intervention of Emergency against the White House, in part, because the organization could still inform the news through shared reports sent to all media organizations in the House Association of Correspondents White.

While Judge McFadden said that he doubted the hand of the Trump administration, it seemed , according to repeatedly, he said repeatedly, ascended to “discrimination of the point of view.”

The news organization had requested a restriction order to prevent the White House from excluding its journalists from the events where the president makes news routinely, such as when he signs executive orders in the oval office, he often speaks without script with the journalists gathered To see.

The White House celebrated the move of the judge.

“As we have said from the beginning, asking questions to the president of the United States at the Oval Office already board Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right,” the statement said.

On Monday, when President Emmanuel Macron de France met with Trump at the White House, the French press body decided that an Associated Press journalist based in Paris would ask his first question during the planned joint press conference. He was allowed to do so, according to a report issued by the press pool, the rotating group of journalists traveling with the president and have reserved seats in walled events in the White House complex.

The lawyers who defend the Trump administration had argued that it was the president’s prerogative to choose which media members allow in restricted areas in another way, including the Oval Office, Air Force One and its residence in the Mar-A- resort Lake in Florida. They argued that he Press pool makeupThat traditionally comprises only 13 people, but always includes Associated Press and other cable services, they can be changed at the discretion of the president without “offending the Constitution.”

They denied that the decision was promoted to reprisals or coercion.

“This case is not to prohibit Associated Press from entering the White House land. Nor is it about prohibiting the Associated Press attending information sessions in the information room of James S. Brady or using other press facilities at the White House, ”the lawyers wrote in a presentation on Monday.

“On the other hand, this case is that Associated Press loses special access to the media, a discretionary presidential election par excellence that does not violate any constitutional right,” they wrote.

At Friday’s hearing, Brian P. Hudak, a lawyer who represents Trump administration officials, compared participation in the press group with other “special access events”, as individual interviews with the president, which he said Presidents do not have the obligation to give to all organizations.

But Judge McFadden seemed to disagree, saying that while there would seem “any amount of neutral content reasons” to exclude journalists and printed photographers from Associated Press, it was clear that the administration had chosen a fight with the organization over its content.

Early in the day, Ed Martin, the interim prosecutor of the United States in Washington, denounced Associated Press on social networks.

“As President Trump’s lawyers, we are proud to fight to protect his leadership as our president and we are attentive to support entities such as APs who refuse to put the United States first,” Martin said.

The extraordinary statement, from a federal prosecutor in the midst of ongoing litigation and suggests that the lawyers of the Department of Justice are the “president’s lawyers” instead of the lawyers representing the government, they only joined the tension as both parties prepared to continue litigating.

“We expect our next audience on March 20, where we will continue to defend the right of the press and the public to speak freely without government reprisals,” said Lauren Easton, spokesman for Associated Press, in a statement. “This is a fundamental American freedom.”

Devlin Barrett Contributed reports.