BREAKING: Hearing on Trump's ban of CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House ends with no ruling

A Wednesday hearing regarding President Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House ended on Wednesday with no immediate ruling on the matter. Trump banned the three outlets on Wednesday over their dissemination of “fake news.”

The hearing took place before DC District Court Judge Tim Kelly, who told attorneys at the conclusion of the hearing, “I'll consider what you've told me today and try to get you an answer as soon as I can.”

Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for media outlets, had urged Kelly during the hearing to immediately restore the outlets’ credentials. He argued that the ban was “viewpoint discrimination” in violation of the First Amendment, and that the decision came “completely out of the blue.” 

“These are urgent matters. We’re at war. World leaders are coming to Washington,” said Boutrous. 

The Department of Justice argued that the president has the right to decide who gets “privileged access” to certain spaces. DOJ attorney Michael Velchik said, “Access to the White House is a privilege not a right.” 

Letters sent to the outlets earlier in the week identified stories that the White House said “threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods.” This included coverage of the Iran war, the RNC’s midterm convention, and military matters.

The letters stated, “Your organization has exhibited behavior in violation of the standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex, including by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”

Boutrous had argued that the articles cited in the letters were “garden-variety reporting.”