White House Reinstates CNN Reporter Jim Acosta's Press pass

The Trump Administration has restored the revoked ‘hard pass’ of CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta. This reinstatement came after a judge ruled that the administration could not revoke the journalist’s pass over his argument with US President Donald Trump.

The White House had prevented Jim Acosta from entering the premises after he had got into an argument with President Donald Trump during a press conference on November 7 following the results of the US mid-term elections. Acosta had persisted in asking Trump about stoking fears of the migrant caravan making its way to the US border.

However, while announcing this decision the White House also issued "rules governing future press conferences". In the letter to CNN, the White House warned that 'further action' against Acosta will be taken unless he follows the new rules.

The new rules include allowing only a single question from each journalist and follow-up questions would only be allowed at the discretion of the Press Secretary or the US President.

The CNN published part of the  White House's letter which said, "Having received a formal reply from your counsel to our letter of November 16, we have made a final determination in this process: your hard pass is restored. Should you refuse to follow these rules in the future, we will take action in accordance with the rules set forth above. The President is aware of this decision and concurs."

The White House press corps, however, has not agreed to any new set of rules governing presidential press conferences. The White House Correspondents' Association said that it had "no role in crafting" what the White House put out in its letter.

The association also said that the arbitrary imposition of new rules is not going to change the way White House reporters conduct themselves. "For as long as there have been White House press conferences, White House reporters have asked follow-up questions. We fully expect this tradition will continue," the association said.

In response to the White House letter, CNN said in a court filing that it has dropped the ongoing litigation over Acosta's access to the White House. "Today the White House fully restored Jim Acosta's press pass. As a result, our lawsuit is no longer necessary," the network said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to cover the White House."

However, the man in the middle of this fight between the Trump Administration and the news media – Jim Acosta tweeted out and said he was looking forward to returning to the White House.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2018 05:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).