Traitorous: FOX News Backs CNN's Lawsuit against White House

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In a seemingly traitorous move, Donald Trump's favorite network Fox News Channel has fully backed CNN’s lawsuit against the White House over the suspension of White House correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass following his confrontation with the President.

Fox issued a statement attacking the White House for supposedly “weaponizing” secret Service passes for journalists

FOX News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter’s 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. While we don’t 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.

In a brief statement shared to Twitter, CNN thanked Fox News for backing its lawsuit against the White House.

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According to Axios, the following news outlets are also joining the brief: The Associated Press, Bloomberg, First Look Media, Gannett, the New York Times, Politico, EW Scripps, USA Today Network, Washington Post, Press Freedom Defense Fund, and National Press Club.

Breitbart reports: The administration stripped Acosta of his pass to enter the White House following President Donald Trump’s contentious news conference last week, where Acosta refused to give up a microphone when the president said he didn’t want to hear anything more from him.

In response to the lawsuit, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement: “this is just more grandstanding from CNN, and we will vigorously defend against his lawsuit.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association backed the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., district court.

“The president of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him,” said Oliver Knox, president of the correspondents’ group.

Fox News will file an amicus brief in support of @Acosta and CNN. Thank you @FoxNews! Statement from Jay Wallace below: pic.twitter.com/1EyRkho0TK

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 14, 2018

We spoke last night with the legal team of @acosta/@cnn and will also be joining an amicus brief in support of the correspondent and the network. #PressFreedom #MoreLatinosInNews https://t.co/tmdKv8bk5z

— NAHJ (@NAHJ) November 14, 2018

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CNN said Acosta was given no warning of the action, and no recourse to appeal it.

Acosta traveled to Paris to cover Trump’s visit there this weekend and, although permitted by the French government to cover a news event, the Secret Service denied him entrance, the company said.

“Without this credential, a daily White House correspondent like Acosta effectively cannot do his job,” CNN’s lawsuit said.

CNN asked for an injunction to immediately reinstate Acosta, as well as a hearing on the larger issue of barring a reporter.

Acosta has been a polarizing figure even beyond the distaste that Trump and his supporters have for him.

The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, editorialized last week that Acosta’s encounter with Trump at the news conference “was less about asking questions and more about making statements.

In doing so, the CNN White House reporter gave President Donald Trump room to critique Acosta’s professionalism.”

In an opinion-editorial published Wednesday, Breitbart News senior legal editor Ken Klukowski argued President Trump would file the lawsuit because the “Constitution does not allow a federal court to issue this kind of order to the White House,” while the “First Amendment does not protect” Acosta’s actions.