Reporters barred by Trump return to White House after judge orders access restored

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House around midday Thursday, hours after security officers turned them away despite a federal judge’s order restoring the press credentials President Donald Trump had revoked.

The reporters’ return ended a chaotic morning at the gates. In an emergency filing, the outlets said a Secret Service agent confiscated passes from journalists at all three organizations. CNN reporter Betsy Klein, whose pass had been seized Saturday, asked for it back and was refused entry, their lawyers wrote.

Related: President Donald Trump bans CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House

MS NOW correspondent Laura Barrón-López and Klein were admitted around noon. Politico reported that one of its journalists regained entry shortly afterward, The Washington Post reported. During the ban, MS NOW White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard reported from the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, outside the complex.

The administration offered the court a different timeline for the credentials themselves: White House staff were told at 7:10 a.m. to restore access, the Secret Service said badges were active by 9:07 a.m., and confiscated passes were brought to a gate around 9:55 a.m. Its declaration did not explain why reporters were still being denied entry. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly denied the outlets’ request for an emergency hearing after receiving it.

The White House did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment on the morning’s denials.

Related: Networks stop TV pool coverage of Donald Trump as banned outlets sue over censorship

Kelly’s 14-day order found that the outlets were likely to prevail at least on their Fifth Amendment claim that their credentials had been revoked without due process. Trump announced the ban last Friday because of coverage he called “FAKE NEWS.” Justice Department lawyers later invoked national security, but Kelly found little evidence that the cited stories posed that kind of threat. He has not decided the outlets’ separate First Amendment retaliation claim.

The Post reported another complication in the government’s case: The White House criticized Politico for quoting an unnamed administration official, although the remark came from an authorized briefing in which reporters were told to use that attribution.

The outlets’ request for longer-lasting relief is due Monday.