The Associated Press, Banned From White House Press Pool, Renews Request To Court For Reinstatement

A lawyer for The Associated Press asked a federal judge Thursday to reinstate the agency's access to the White House press pool and other official events, saying the Trump administration's ban is a fundamental attack on freedom of speech and should be overturned.

"AP has now spent 44 days in the penalty box," said Charles Tobin, speaking on behalf of the news agency.

The AP and the new administration are at odds over the White House's removal of AP reporters and photographers from the small group of journalists who follow the president in the pool and other events. Last month, AP sued White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and two other administration officials, demanding reinstatement.

The White House retaliated against the news outlet last month for not following President Trump's executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

The notion of banning a news agency for what it says - and for not using the words that a government demands - is extraordinarily unusual in a country whose Constitution guarantees free speech without official interference. By punishing AP for what it publishes, the administration has raised questions about what the White House feels it could punish from news outlets whose words or images it doesn't like.