1. United States
2. Okla.
3. Letter

I am writing because President Trump’s announcement that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are banned from the White House demands an immediate and unequivocal response from Congress. This is not normal political sparring with the media. This is the President of the United States attempting to use the power and access of the federal government to punish news organizations whose reporting he dislikes. That is an authoritarian tactic, and Americans should not become accustomed to it. President Trump announced that the three organizations were banned because, in his words, they report “FAKE NEWS.” He has threatened that additional news organizations could follow. He has not identified specific false reporting that would justify the action or explained objective standards under which these organizations are being excluded. The First Amendment exists precisely because the government cannot be trusted to decide which criticism of the government is acceptable. The White House is not the President’s private property. It belongs to the American people. Journalists are there not as guests receiving a personal favor from Donald Trump, but to observe, question, investigate, and report on the government on behalf of the public. There is also established legal precedent here. In Sherrill v. Knight, a federal appeals court held that once the White House establishes press facilities for journalists, access cannot be denied arbitrarily or based on the content of a journalist’s reporting. This is bigger than CNN. It is bigger than Politico. It is bigger than MS NOW. A government that can punish journalists for unfavorable reporting can intimidate other journalists into avoiding unfavorable reporting. That is the danger. History provides ample warning about what happens when governments attempt to delegitimize independent journalism, reward compliant media, punish critical reporting, and increasingly control who is permitted to scrutinize those in power. Americans should recognize those warning signs rather than rationalize each new escalation as ordinary partisan politics. Members of Congress swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution—not to protect a president from criticism. I am asking you to act accordingly. Publicly condemn any attempt to exclude news organizations from the White House because of their coverage. Demand transparent, viewpoint-neutral standards for White House press access. Exercise congressional oversight of this administration’s treatment of journalists. And make clear that retaliation against the press for reporting the President dislikes will not be normalized or ignored. This principle must apply regardless of politics. A Republican president should not be able to ban CNN for critical reporting. A Democratic president should not be able to ban Fox News for critical reporting. The government does not get to choose which journalists are sufficiently agreeable to cover it. Democracy does not require a press that is polite to those in power. It requires a press that is free from them. Congress needs to defend that freedom now.