A US judge extends an order allowing Ofoq News, MS NOW and Politico to enter the White House

A US federal judge stated, at the conclusion of a hearing held on Thursday, that he is still studying the issue of extending his decision that halts measures taken by the administration of President Donald Trump to prevent the Ofoq News and MS NOW networks and the Politico website from entering the White House. However, US District Judge Tim Kelly issued an order extending until Tuesday a temporary order requiring the Trump administration to allow those media organizations into the White House complex.

On the other hand, US Justice Department lawyer Michael Vilcek argued that excluding reporters or news organizations from the White House falls within the president's "discretionary powers." Vilcek said that the Ofoq News Network "has been aware of the warnings directed at it for years," and that President Donald Trump has long described the network as a source of "fake news."

The Justice Department lawyer added: “Trump does not mind negative press coverage if he deserves it.” The Justice Department argued that preventing Ofoq News, MSNBC, and Politico networks from entering the White House was for reasons related to national security, although Trump did not refer to national security when he announced the ban last month.

After news organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, the White House sent letters to those organizations raising national security concerns about their reporting. The Justice Department attorney also argued that news organizations had the opportunity to respond to the White House's allegations, but did not do so.

Vilcek also considered that the news organizations violated professional norms, alleging that the reports included inaccurate quotes and fragmentary interviews. He noted that the White House cited both national security and “the promotion of verifiable lies” as reasons for the ban.

“We've always made clear that it's not just about national security,” Vilcek said.