CNN sues White House to regain access for reporter Jim Acosta

CNN sues Trump administration, asking court to restore Jim Acosta’s White House press pass after testy exchange with the president 

The unusual lawsuit, an escalation of President Trump’s long-running war of words with CNN, seeks

a judge’s intervention after Trump banished Acosta from the White House grounds for an indefinite period.

At a news conference last week, Acosta rebuffed a White House press aide’s attempt to remove a microphone from his hands during a heated exchange with the president. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed Acosta was “placing his hands on a young woman” — and later tweeted a doctored video as evidence to support her claims — and cited that as the reason for the press pass suspension.

 CNN filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington. “We have asked this court for an immediate restraining order requiring the pass be returned to Jim, and will seek permanent relief as part of this process,” the network said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the judge in the case, Timothy J. Kelly, ordered the White House and the other defendants to respond to CNN’s motion for a temporary restraining order by 11 a.m. Wednesday. He set a hearing on the restraining order — -

• The Washington Post