White House blocks Politico from Air Force One amid press access lawsuit

CNN reports that the White House refused to allow Politico on Air Force One on Monday, which means the news organization could not fulfill its press corps pool responsibilities.[2]MS NOW reports that Politico was assigned to be the out-of-town travel print pool for Trump's trip to Grand Island, Nebraska,[3] where he was holding a rally with Sen.According to CNN, Trump announced on September 18 that he was "banning" Politico, CNN and MS NOW from the White House[2]. CNN also reports that Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the journalists' press badges.[2]A White House spokesperson told HuffPost that traveling aboard Air Force One "is a privilege not a right."[4] TheWrap reports that the administration has argued the order does not extend to limited-capacity spaces such as Air Force One or the Oval Office.[5]According to CNN, the White House offered Politico's seat to other news organizations in the travel pool rotation, and several declined[6].Ted Boutrous, the attorney for the three outlets, told CNN that "The harm to our clients, the First Amendment, and the public as a whole is profound."[2]CNN reports that Judge Kelly is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday on the outlets' request for a preliminary injunction.[6]