After Numerous Attempts.. Correspondents from Ufaq News, MS NOW, and Politico Enter the White House by Court Order

Washington, United States - Ufaq News was allowed to return to the White House after a federal judge ordered President Donald Trump's administration to temporarily reactivate the press credentials for the network, as well as for MS NOW and Politico. After numerous attempts to enter the building on Thursday morning, Ufaq News correspondent Betsy Klein and a photographer were allowed to enter the White House on Thursday afternoon (Washington time).

A correspondent from MS NOW was also granted entry, according to the network. This came after the news organizations filed an urgent request for a hearing on Thursday morning, following the reporters' denial of entry.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, federal judge Timothy Kelly ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore the right of entry to the White House for Ufaq News, MS NOW, and Politico, after President Donald Trump had barred them from entering the White House. In his ruling, Kelly found that the revocation of the reporters' press credentials was done without following "proper and constitutionally adequate legal procedures."

This ruling - issued just hours before Trump was to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House - meant that journalists should have returned to work in the White House complex, although some staff from the three organizations were initially barred from entry. Both Betsy Klein and the photographer were denied entry to the White House grounds at 9:00 AM Washington time.

In contrast, one producer from Ufaq News was able to enter the White House using his credential after 6:00 AM, and it was not immediately clear why he was able to enter the building. Reporters from MS NOW and Politico were also denied entry early Thursday morning, according to those organizations.

Judge Kelly ordered the Justice Department to respond by 12:30 PM Washington time. Kelly stated late Wednesday-Thursday that the government's arguments "do not provide much support for its claims regarding national security interests."

After the ban was enacted, Trump and his lawyers stated that the right of entry was revoked for those organizations because their previous coverage raised national security concerns. Kelly wrote: "First of all, there is nothing in the previous records of this case indicating that the revocation of the plaintiffs' permanent credentials was driven by national security concerns."

He added: "Certainly, this was not what President Trump said when he announced that he was 'banning' the plaintiffs from entering the White House, but instead focused on what he claimed was a lack of honesty and credibility from the plaintiffs and their negative coverage." Regarding "due process," the judge noted that the Trump administration did not inform the journalists of the opportunity to contest the decision until after the credentials were revoked.

Judge Kelly wrote in his ruling, citing legal precedents: "The general rule is that individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of a constitutionally protected interest." It is noted that the temporary order issued by Kelly remains in effect for 14 days.

The judge also indicated that his decision is not subject to immediate appeal, as he laid out a plan for the next two weeks allowing the news organizations and the Trump administration to continue presenting arguments and evidence to him. This plan - for which the judge has not yet set deadlines or specific hearing dates - is likely to result in a more detailed and established ruling compared to the emergency decision Kelly issued early Thursday morning.

Trump announced the ban on the three news organizations in a social media post last Friday, stating that he was expelling these organizations "due to their continued coverage of fake news!" adding that "other media organizations that publish fake news will face the same fate." The three news organizations filed a lawsuit seeking to suspend or completely overturn the ban.

During the legal briefs and a hearing held on Wednesday, the lawyers for the news organizations argued that the ban contradicts previous court rulings, violates due process, and was issued merely out of Trump's disdain for those journalists. In contrast, administration lawyers argued that Trump's decision did indeed include a mechanism for appeal, citing the messages received by the organizations after the ban took effect.

Commenting on Thursday's ruling, Ted Boutros, the lawyer for the news organizations, told Ufaq News: "This is a strong ruling that upholds press freedom, due process, and the rule of law. Ufaq News has reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment.