White House revokes CNN's Jim Acosta press pass after Trump exchange
After a contentious exchange at a post-election press conference, the White House revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's hard pass; a federal judge ordered it temporarily reinstated on due-process grounds, and the White House restored it.1
- Country
- United States
- Where
- United States
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Credential control
- Outcome
- Unknown
- Era
- The 2010s
What happened
On November 7, 2018, following a heated exchange between CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and President Trump at a post-midterm-election press conference, the White House revoked Acosta's hard pass, the credential granting routine access to the White House grounds. CNN sued, and on November 16, 2018, Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for D.C. granted a temporary restraining order requiring the pass be reinstated, applying the due-process framework of Sherrill v. Knight. The White House restored Acosta's pass on November 19, 2018, and CNN dropped its suit; the White House then issued new formal rules of conduct for press-conference questioning.2314
Closed; pass restored, case dismissed by agreement.3
What reason was given
The White House initially said Acosta had "placed his hands" on a White House intern attempting to take the microphone from him during the exchange; video of the incident was disputed by CNN and independent analysts.4
What changed for reporting
Acosta lost routine White House access for roughly ten days; the episode led to the White House's first written rules governing reporter conduct at press conferences.2
Timeline
2018
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | other | President of the United States |
| Timothy J. Kelly | ruled | Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| CNN | outlet | affected |
| Jim Acosta | journalist, CNN | affected |
Court cases
| Case | Court | Docket | Status | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherrill v. Knight | United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit | decided | precedent cited | |
| Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | 1:18-cv-02610 | dismissed | arising from |
Sources
- Judge reinstates Acosta press pass
- Trump banned CNN's Jim Acosta from the White House in 2018. Where is he now? archived copy
- White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit
- White House revokes press pass of CNN's Jim Acosta
- Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, docket 1:18-cv-02610
- Jim Acosta: White House pulls CNN reporter's pass after Trump press conference
- White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation
- White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation
Claims cited
- The White House revoked Acosta's hard pass following the press-conference exchange.
The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Donald Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference.
White House suspends CNN journalist Acosta after Trump confrontation, Gulf News, 2018-11-07. Claim 46, checked 2026-09-22. - Acosta could not access the White House grounds under his usual credential until the pass was restored.
your hard pass is restored,
White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit, Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19. Claim 44, checked 2026-09-22. - The White House restored Acosta's pass and CNN dropped its lawsuit.
lawsuit is no longer necessary
White House restores Jim Acosta's press pass, CNN drops lawsuit, Yahoo News / AP, 2018-11-19. Claim 45, checked 2026-09-22. - The White House said Acosta placed his hands on an intern during the exchange, a characterization CNN disputed.
placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern
White House suspends CNN's Acosta after Trump confrontation, Al Jazeera, 2018-11-08. Claim 47, checked 2026-09-22.