White House access dispute resurfaces as Xi arrives for state dinner
The White House denied journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico access after a judge’s ruling aimed at restoring entry to the outlets. CNN later said a reporter and producer were denied access again as Xi arrived for a state dinner with Donald Trump, and that MS NOW journalists were also turned away.
Key points
- The dispute involved access for three outlets—CNN, MS NOW and Politico—and the seizure of journalists’ credentials.
Evidence · 3 source statements
A Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials on Thursday morning, the news outlets said in a court filing.
- CNN described a further denial of access during Xi’s arrival for the state dinner.
Evidence · 3 source statements
Who's involved
CNN
CNN journalists were among those seeking access to the White House.
CNN said its journalists were barred in the morning and that a reporter and producer were denied access again during Xi’s arrival.
What they said · 3 source statements
Politico
A Politico journalist was among those affected by the access restrictions.
Politico said one of its journalists was barred and had their credential confiscated.
What they said · 1 source statement
CNN, MS NOW and Politico
The three outlets were the parties seeking restored access and filing in court about the credential seizure.
The outlets said in a court filing that a Secret Service agent confiscated their journalists’ credentials.
What they said · 1 source statement
A Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials on Thursday morning, the news outlets said in a court filing.
What was reported
- A judge’s ruling was intended to restore access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, but the White House prevented its immediate implementation.
One source: Clarín
Evidence · 2 source statements
- Politico said one of its journalists was barred from the White House and had their credential confiscated.
One source: Politico
Evidence · 1 source statement
- CNN said correspondent Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were barred at 6 a.m. without an explanation.
One source: CNN
Evidence · 1 source statement
- The outlets said in a court filing that a Secret Service agent confiscated their journalists’ credentials on Thursday morning.
One source: Associated Press
Evidence · 1 source statement
A Secret Service agent had confiscated the journalists’ credentials on Thursday morning, the news outlets said in a court filing.
- Daily Jang reported that Secret Service officers seized press cards from representatives of all three outlets and stopped them from entering that morning.
One source: Daily Jang
Evidence · 1 source statement
- CNN said a reporter and a producer were denied entry as Xi arrived for a state dinner with Donald Trump and were told to contact communications director Steven Cheung.
One source: CNN
Evidence · 2 source statements
- CNN said MS NOW journalists were also denied access during Xi’s arrival.
One source: CNN
Evidence · 1 source statement
Still unclear
- Whether the journalists later gained access after the morning denials.
- The White House’s explanation for the access denials.
Not heard from
- The White House — It controlled access to the event, but no statement from it appears in the reports’ claims.
- The U.S. Secret Service — Its officers were reported to have seized press cards, but no statement from the agency appears.