Blanche defends CNN’s removal from Air Force One pool

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the Trump administration’s decision to remove CNN from its scheduled television press-pool assignment aboard Air Force One, arguing that inaccurate or one-sided reporting can pose national-security risks and that the president decides which journalists travel with him. CNN had been due to cover President Donald Trump’s Saturday trip to Tennessee. The other four major television networks declined to take its place, halting independent video-pool coverage for that trip, according to reports described in the source material. Blanche made the case during a Sunday interview, as a separate legal challenge over restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico continued. The outlets’ White House credentials had been restored under a temporary court order. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly’s order blocks enforcement of the restrictions for 14 days while the lawsuit proceeds; it is interim relief, not a final decision on their legality. In the interview, Blanche said the administration’s concern was that inaccurate coverage could affect the United States’ relationships with foreign partners and adversaries.