Quotes
He may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement ... which would be nice, I'd love to meet him,
Trump said
We have committed to building a lasting peace as Europeans, we have committed to being stakeholders in these security guarantees, and we are also well aware that Europeans need to do more for security in Europe, for defense in Europe,
he said
The Constitution prevents the president of the United States or any other government official from coercing journalists or anyone else into using official government vocabulary to report the news,
Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the AP, said during a court hearing
We’re not arguing that the president of the United States has to answer The Associated Press’ questions,
Tobin saidThe White House has accepted the correspondents’ association to be the referee here, and has just discriminated against one organization. That does seem problematic.”
Later, though, in an exchange with Hudak, he saidWe’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”
Trump has dismissed the AP as an organization of “radical left lunatics” and saidThat’s not just special access. That’s extra-special access,
Hudak said,We look forward to our next hearing on March 20 where we will continue to stand for the right of the press and the public to speak freely without government retaliation. This is a fundamental American freedom.”
AP spokesperson Lauren Easton had this to say after the hearing
It seems pretty clearly viewpoint discrimination,
McFadden told Brian Hudak, a government attorneyWe stand by our decision to hold the Fake News accountable for their lies.”
The White House issued a statement declaring victory in the case, saying in partI can’t say the AP has shown a likelihood of success here,
the judge said
This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment,
the news agency saidThe press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,
the AP's lawsuit said
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We feel we are in the right in this position."
During an appearance last week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said
The Constitution does not allow the government to control speech,
the said in its complaint
Most journalists have no routine access to the Oval Office, Air Force One, or the President's home at Mar-a-Lago,
they saidInstead, this case is about the Associated Press losing special media access to the President a quintessentially discretionary presidential choice that infringes no constitutional right,
they saidThe President has discretion to decide who will have special media access to exclusive events,
they saidAs a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,
it saidThe President has absolute discretion to give interviews to whomever he pleases — the First Amendment does not compel him to give a personal audience to any particular journalist,
the attorneys wrote