Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Sunday downplayed concerns that President Donald Trump may have violated the Constitution when reporters from Politico, MS NOW and CNN were banned from covering the White House on Saturday. <\/p>\n
Asked directly whether the president had violated the Constitution, Barrasso said, \u201cNo, I believe the press has an obligation to report fairly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressed again on whether he agreed with Trump\u2019s ban, Barrasso said, \u201cWe all respect and value the freedom of the press \u2014 it\u2019s in the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was banned from Twitter. He was banned from Facebook, and I didn\u2019t see people come to his defense,\u201d the Wyoming senator told NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d \u201cSo it goes both ways. The press has an obligation to report fairly, and the president doesn\u2019t see it happening that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressed on whether the president\u2019s decision to ban the reporters from White House coverage violated the First Amendment, Barrasso demurred, saying again, \u201cI believe the press has an obligation to report fairly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he believes Trump\u2019s decision to bar those outlets from the White House would not negatively affect Republicans running for office in the upcoming midterm elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line on all of this is: This is not going to have an impact on an election 44 days from now,\u201d Barrasso said. \u201cPeople are going to go to the voting booth. They\u2019re going to make a decision based on their life, their future, what they believe is best for them and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The president announced Friday that he was barring three outlets from the White House, writing in a post on Truth Social that he made the decision \u201cas a result of their constant \u2018reporting\u2019 FAKE NEWS!\u201d The president also warned that \u201cother outlets\u201d could face similar action but did not name them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedia Outlets shouldn\u2019t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they\u2019re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, the president said it wasn\u2019t one particular story that led to his decision, but \u201ccumulative stories over the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Journalists from the affected outlets reported that they were turned away at the White House security kiosk<\/a> on Saturday and their credentials were revoked<\/p>\n On Saturday, during an MS NOW broadcast, anchor Peter Alexander said that the ban was out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not business as usual. What\u2019s happening right now is different. The latest threat against our cherished freedoms, protected by the U.S. Constitution,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n On his show, Alexander interviewed Gabe Rottman, vice president of policy for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.<\/p>\n Asked whether the ban was legal, Rottman said, \u201cIn a word, no.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that the White House would put the affected news organizations to the task of having to go to court and vindicate their rights, you know that in and of itself is an effort to intimidate the press writ large,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Representatives for Politico, MS NOW and CNN pledged to continue covering the White House despite the bans.<\/p>\n \u201cPOLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them,\u201d the outlet\u2019s press team wrote in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hinderance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right,\u201d CNN said in a statement posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account, and we will continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n