The Associated Press accused the White House of violating a court order after it was once again banned from an Oval Office event.
On Monday, AP writer David Bauder reported that a reporter and photographer were barred from attending a news conference with President Donald Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.
This decision came despite U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruling last week that the White House had violated the Constitution by blocking the longtime publication’s access to press events.
“The Government offers no other plausible explanation for its treatment of the AP. The Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination, even in a nonpublic forum like the Oval Office,” McFadden wrote in his order.
ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS IT WAS BARRED FROM OVAL OFFICE OVER USE OF ‘GULF OF MEXICO’
McFadden ruled the White House must restore AP’s press access but delayed the order for one week to allow the White House a chance to appeal. According to Bauder’s article, the order was set to take effect on Monday.
The AP also reported that McFadden rejected the White House’s request to delay the order on Friday.
The White House quickly filed an appeal and set up a hearing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit for Thursday over whether AP’s access can still be restricted while the case is reviewed.
In the meantime, AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said in a statement that she expects access to be restored.
“Our journalists were blocked from the Oval Office today. We expect the White House to restore AP’s participation in the (White House press) pool as of today, as provided in the injunction order,” she said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and AP for further comment.
The controversy began after Trump signed an executive order renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” on his first day in office. The AP later issued style guidance for how the news outlet would refer to the body of water.
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“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,” the guidelines stated.
The White House then blocked AP from the Oval Office and Air Force One in February over its refusal to use the term “Gulf of America.”
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