Fox News took the extraordinary step of speaking out on behalf of its rival.<\/b>
\nFox News can usually be counted on to staunchly support President Donald Trump and his administration. But on Tuesday, network executives publicly rebuked the White House\u2019s move to banish CNN reporter Jim Acosta from the White House.
Fox News president Jay Wallace wrote in a statement that \u201cFOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter\u2019s press credential. We intend to file an amicus brief with the U. S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized.\u201d
\u201cWhile we don\u2019t condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people,\u201d he added.
Wallace\u2019s statement comes a day after CNN announced it sued the White House in federal court in an effort to restore Acosta\u2019s credentials, which were stripped by the White House last week following a testy exchange he had with Trump during a news conference. A federal judge is holding a hearing about CNN\u2019s lawsuit on Wednesday afternoon.
While Fox News executives publicly express support for CNN, its on-air talent spent the past week trying to justify the White House\u2019s decision to banish Acosta.
When press secretary Sarah Sanders announced Acosta\u2019s banishment in a string of tweets last Thursday, she accused him of \u201cplacing his hands\u201d on a White House aide who tried to physically remove a microphone from his hands during the news conference.
Later that same evening, Sanders resorted to sharing a doctored video to bolster her allegation that appeared to originate with the far-right conspiracy site Infowars.
While Sanders was widely criticized, Fox News personalities immediately began defending the White House, with host Trish Regan characterizing Acosta as \u201csort of wrestling that young White House intern\u201d to the ground. (The video doesn\u2019t show anything close to this.)
The White House quickly distanced itself from the claim that Acosta had a physical altercation with the woman. Trump himself said on Friday, \u201cI don\u2019t hold [Acosta] for that, because it wasn\u2019t overly, you know, horrible,\u201d and said his real problem was that Acosta \u201cisn\u2019t showing the proper respect for the White House.\u201d
Fox News then defended the White House\u2019s new position. On Tuesday night, Fox News host Sean Hannity went on a lengthy rant accusing Acosta of being a \u201c far-left, grandstanding, sycophant left-winger \u201d \u2014 as if that justifies preventing him from having access to the White House. Fox News\u2019s president released his statement a few hours later.
The White House didn\u2019t accuse Acosta of \u201cplacing his hands on anybody\u201d in a 28-page memo filed in a federal court on Wednesday. Instead, the White House now says Acosta \u201crefus[ed] to permit another journalist to ask a question.\u201d
The judge presiding over CNN\u2019s lawsuit, US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, is a Trump appointee. Legal precedent suggests the network has a strong case.
Fox News executives aren\u2019t the only one signing on to CNN\u2019s lawsuit. Other prominent outlets \u2014 including NBC News, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Gannett, the New York Times, Politico, USA Today, and the Washington Post \u2014 all plan to file amicus briefs in support of CNN, according to the Hill.
Ballard Spahr LLP, a law firm representing those outlets, released a statement on their behalf that expresses support for CNN.
\u201cWhether the news of the day concerns national security, the economy, or the environment, reporters covering the White House must remain free to ask questions,\u201d the news outlets said in a joint statement released by the firm. \u201cIt is imperative that independent journalists have access to the President and his activities, and that journalists are not barred for arbitrary reasons. Our news organizations support the fundamental constitutional right to question this President, or any President.\u201d<\/p>\n

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