Washington DC [US], February 26 : White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt on Tuesday (local time) reaffirmed her position regarding the Associated Press (AP) case, stating that questioning US President Donald Trump is a privilege, not a legal right.
Leavitt further explained that moving forward, the White House will have the authority to determine which journalists will cover its events.
"Yesterday, a federal judge denied the associated press's emergency motion for a temporary restraining order against myself, our Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and our chief of staff Susie Wiles for our decision to remove the Associated Press from the White House Press pool for certain and special events, the judge's ruling uphold our decision to deny the Associated Press such privileged access reinforces the truth and it reiterates what I said from this podium last week when that suit was filed asking the President of the United States questions in limited spaces such as the Oval Office in Air Force 1 is a privilege that unfortunately has only been granted to a few it is not a legal right for all," she said.
Leavitt, while cracking down on the White House Correspondents' Association, said that several journalists do not get the opportunity to fly on Air Force 1 and asking questions. She said that therefore, this move aimed at ensuring justice for all.
"There are hundreds of journalists who show up to this building every day and are not granted that luxury of flying on Air Force One and asking President Trump questions. We want to ensure that everyone has a seat at that highly coveted table. but alas the Legacy Media Outlets who have been doing this for quite some time and have invested resources into covering the White House, their spots will remain just like they have in this briefing room as well," she said.
The White House Correspondents' Association condemned the decision, alleging that this move tore at the independence of the press.
"This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps," the statement said.
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