Blanche says president has right to restrict access to White House and Air Force One

Por David Cohen — POLITICO – TOP Stories

Attorney General Todd Blanche said repeatedly Sunday that it is a “privilege” for members of the press to be in the White House or fly with the president, a day after CNN was kept off Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s trip to Tennessee.

Speaking to host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week,” Blanche said: “It is a privilege to be in the White House for anybody.”

Blanche reiterated the point later: “It is the people’s house. It is a privilege, not a right, to be there.”

The attorney general also contended that the president can choose who does or doesn’t travel with him on Air Force One. CNN had been slated to travel with Trump as part of the rotating television press pool Saturday but was blocked from attending by the White House.

“The president has every right to decide who flies on his plane,” Blanche said.

On Saturday morning, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!”

The Air Force One restriction came at the end of the week that saw U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly grant a temporary restraining order to restore access to the White House for POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW.

Kelly ordered journalists’ credentials returned for at least two weeks while further litigation plays out.

Among other things, Kelly expressed skepticism about the White House’s contention that national security was at stake if the three news outlets continued to have access to the White House.

“The Court is skeptical — at least on this record — that Defendants’ interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation,” Kelly wrote.

In a contentious segment of the ABC interview, Blanche told Raddatz there was a national security component to Trump’s ban since the press was making the United States look bad in the eyes of our friends and allies abroad.

“It is for the protection of our country,” Blanche said, “so that when foreign leaders, when foreign governments, when citizens that are around the world hear what’s happening in the administration, that it happens to be accurate.”

Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories