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CNN sues Trump, WH aides for barring scribe

WASHINGTON:CNN on Tuesday said it has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and several of his top aides, seeking the immediate restoration of the network’s correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass to the White House which was suspended following a testy exchange with the US President.

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Washington, November 13

CNN on Tuesday said it has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and several of his top aides, seeking the immediate restoration of the network’s correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass to the White House which was suspended following a testy exchange with the US President.

During a White House press conference last Wednesday,  Acosta challenged Trump’s use of the word “invasion” to describe a migrant caravan heading to the US from Central America. 

When Acosta tried to ask a question about the Russia investigation into alleged interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump told him repeatedly “that’s enough” and “put down the mic”.

Hours after the encounter, seen across the world, the White House, in an unprecedented move, suspended Acosta’s press pass, known as a Secret Service “hard pass”. White House Press secretary Sarah Huckerbee Sanders said access was removed because he had put “his hands on a young woman”.

Acosta has denied the allegations. White House insisted that its charges against Acosta were correct. In a statement on Tuesday, CNN said it is seeking a preliminary injunction as soon as possible so that Acosta, the chief White House correspondent, can return to the presidential mansion right away, and a ruling from the court preventing the White House from revoking Acosta’s pass in the future.

The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN’s First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban. The suit is being filed in US District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning, a CNN spokeswoman said. 

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. President Trump, chief of staff John Kelly and press secretary Sarah Sanders are among the six defendants. — PTI

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