CNN and Jim Acosta are suing the White House over revoked press credentials, former White House correspondent says
- Longtime ABC News White House correspondent Sam Donaldson said Sunday that CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and the network were suing the Trump administration over Acosta's revoked press credentials.
- Donaldson told CNN host Brian Stelter that he had been asked to prepare an affidavit ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday, which Stelter said he hadn't heard.
- Acosta's press pass was revoked hours after he was part of a tense standoff with President Donald Trump during a press conference, which was broadcasted live.
- A CNN spokesperson told Business Insider that "no decisions have been made" on suing yet.
Longtime ABC News White House correspondent Sam Donaldson said Sunday that CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and the network were suing the Trump administration over Acosta's revoked press credentials.
Donaldson told CNN "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter that he had been asked to sign an affidavit for the lawsuit, and a court hearing was slated for Tuesday.
"I hope I'm not mistaken but it's my understanding that CNN and have sued and there will be a court hearing on Tuesday on this very matter," Donaldson said.
"Not that I know of, but you may be ahead of me," Stelter said.
A CNN spokesperson told Business Insider: "No decisions have been made. We have reached out to the White House and gotten no response."
The White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday evening that Acosta's press pass would be revoked.
The decision came hours after a tense standoff between Acosta and President Donald Trump during a press conference that ended with the administration accusing Acosta of "inappropriate behavior" after a White House intern tried to grab a microphone out of his hand.
In the same exchange, Trump lashed out at Acosta, ignoring his question about an immigrant caravan headed for the border to call him a "rude, terrible person."
CNN stood by the correspondent in a statement, saying the president's "ongoing attacks on the press" have become "not only dangerous, [but] disturbingly un-American."
On Friday, Trump called Acosta an "unprofessional guy." "I don't think he's a smart person, but he's got a loud voice," the president told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.