Amid AP legal row, White House says coverage of US Presidency is 'privilege', not 'legal right'

The statement by the White House said, "As we have said from the beginning, asking the President of the United States questions in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right. We stand by our decision to hold the Fake News accountable for their lies, and President Trump will continue to grant an unprecedented level of access to the press. This is the most transparent Administration in history."

This statement comes amid the background of the Associate Press suing three officials in federal court after their reporters were banned from attending United States President Donald Trump's event at the Oval Office and Air Force One, CNN reported.

AP accused the Trump administration of violating the freedom of press -which is mentioned in the First Amendment of US constitution. The ban also violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment which protects people from being taken away their liberty, AP alleged.

According to CNN, AP filed the suit on Friday in US District Court in Washington, seeking an emergency hearing and a court order to declare the ban unconstitutional and require them to rescind it.

Judge Trevor McFadden who has been assigned to handle the case, turned down a request from AP to temporarily lift a ban Trump imposed earlier this month to punish the news organization over its decision to continue using the phrase "Gulf of Mexico" even though Trump renamed the body of water "Gulf of America", CNN reported.

The Judge scheduled a hearing for March 20 to hear arguments over the AP's request for a preliminary injunction.

McFadden gave a number of reasons for why he decided to deny the request for emergency relief at this stage in the litigation, including that he wasn't persuaded that the AP was facing "irreparable harm" as a result of the ban, CNN reported.

He said the news organization "can get access to the same information" from the pool notes that are given to all members of the White House Correspondents' Association even if it's barred from being at the events where that news is made.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a video message shared on X said, " The winning continues here at the White House every day". Referring to the judge denying Associated Press's emergency request for a temporary restraining order to restore their privilege of returning to the White House press pool, Leavitt said, "The judge's denial of the Associated Press's request reinforces what I said from the podium last week and what President Trump has been saying- covering the American presidency in the most intimate and limited spaces in this White House, in the Oval Office, on the Air Force One, is a privilege. It is not a legal right. And we want all voices to have that opportunity".

She added that thus in this regard, the James S. Brady briefing room has been expanded so as to invite truly legitimate independent journalists, podcasters, and other media types into that room to "cover this president with honesty, and accuracy and with real mindfulness of what the American people actually care about."

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Citing AP Spokesperson Lauren Easton, CNN reported AP-- "We look forward to our next hearing on March 20 where we will continue to stand for the right of the press and the public to speak freely without government retaliation. This is a fundamental American freedom".

The AP was prohibited by the White House over continuing the use of the name "Gulf of Mexico" even after Trump renamed it to "Gulf of America."

"The Associated Press just refuses to go with what the law is and what has taken place; it's called the 'Gulf of America' now," Trump said at a recent press conference- an event the AP was not allowed to attend.

AP argued in its complaint that "the press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government."

"The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech. Allowing such government control and retaliation to stand is a threat to every American's freedom," AP lawyers wrote in the complaint.

Earlier in January, the US President announced that the US government would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and the change has taken effect at government agencies. However, the new name has not been recognised by other nations. The Associated Press still refers to it as the Gulf of Mexico. Other news outlets in the world have also made similar decisions. (ANI)