White House reporter sues press secretary, Secret Service to restore press badge

A member of the White House press corps has filed a lawsuit against White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service after he was unable to renew his press pass due to new rules, according to media reports Monday.

The lawsuit by journalist Simon Ateba, who works for the newspaper Today News Africa, alleges that the White House policy for revoking press access violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.

On May 5, the White House announced new rules for press badges, known as hard passes. It also for the first time in U.S. history laid out a process by which journalists could lose their credentials.

American media criticized the situation, saying the White House issued new rules instead of canceling or suspending Ateba's press card for a logical reason.

It also argued that the new rules were enacted with the aim of not renewing his press card.

Pointing out that the White House now requires reporters to obtain press credentials from Congress or the Supreme Court to fulfill its new requirements, Ateba said he could not apply for renewal because he did not have these cards and claimed he was specifically targeted in this way.

During a press briefing on June 26, Ateba reportedly interrupted the press secretary and did not stop interrupting other reporters.

But Ateba's lawsuit and media appearances assert that he resorts to shouting and interrupting to ask questions because Jean-Pierre has refrained from allowing him to pose a question for over nine months.

His lawsuit alleges that the alterations in the hard pass criteria are a direct outcome of his disruptions in the briefing room.