For months, tensions have been high between the press and the White House.
In May 2023, The Gateway Pundit reported on the new rules for White House press passes that resulted in the termination of more than 442 reporters.
Among these affected was Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa, Simon Ateba, who shared a letter he received threatening to revoke his press pass due to the new requirements.
Because of this, Ateba has now taken legal action against Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service by filing a federal lawsuit—“Ateba v Jean-Pierre”—with assistance from Center for American Liberty CEO Harmeet Dhillon.
This lawsuit claims that Ateba’s First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated by revoking his press badge due to alleged disruptions during press briefings.
According to Dhillon, “The White House’s new press credential requirements are unconstitutional and directly target Simon.”
He continued on to explain how this credentialing process is outsourced which gives a group of elite minded journalists “unbridled discretion” when it comes to determining which reporters and outlets can hold the White House accountable.
It is clear then that this move was designed with some malicious intent towards certain reporters or organizations in mind in order to limit their access and ability to report on matters at the White House.
Ateba has made it known that if this lawsuit is successful then he will continue take legal action against other entities such as the Washington Post, Politico, and WHCA as well.
His reasoning being that too many journalists have used their status as members of these groups so they can hide behind them while unleashing racist hatred onto people they don’t like or simply envy without any repercussions because they have been considered untouchable up until now.
This must change according to Ateba who believes these assassins should be held accountable for their actions regardless of whether or not those actions come from behind a shield created by some organization or publication that gave them an undeserved veneer of respectability within journalism circles.
