Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanded answers from the White House Communications Director after Donald Trump announced bans on three major news outlets, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, from the White House due to “unfavorable coverage.”
“Donald Trump just launched one of the most blatant attacks on the First Amendment and free press we’ve seen. While this Administration claims to be the most transparent in history, the actions taken by the White House this week directly contradict the rights laid out in our Constitution. This unconstitutional decision and assault on the press by President Trump must be reversed immediately, and we will continue fighting to protect the First Amendment from Trump’s fragile ego,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
In the letter to Stephen Cheung, White House Communications Director, Ranking Member Robert Garcia wrote, “Oversight Democrats are investigating President Trump’s latest, and most blatant, assault on press freedom. As he confronts skyrocketing gas prices, his disastrous war with Iran, and plummeting approval ratings, President Trump is responding by escalating his assault on the Constitution. Following a briefing from White House aide Natalie Harp, President Trump appears to have banned three media outlets from the White House simply because he does not like the content of their reporting, in an attempt to silence criticism. Shortly after President Trump criticized CNN, MS NOW, and Politico for writing “purposely negative stories” about him and his Administration, reporters from these outlets were denied access to the White House and their badges were revoked. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, not freedom from criticism. The American people need to understand what consideration—if any— the White House gave to this serious and unprecedented decision to protect the President’s ego.”
In September 2025, Ranking Member Robert Garcia wrote to ABC, Sinclair, and the Trump Administration demanding answers amid ongoing efforts to censor dissenting voices and opposition to Donald Trump, following ABC’s decision to briefly pull Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air after facing public pressure from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr in response to Kimmel’s remarks about the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk.
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