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Judge Orders White House to Restore Correspondent's Press Credentials

VOA News

   WASHINGTON - VOA's Masood Farivar contributed to this report.

   A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the White House to restore the press
   credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem, whose hard pass was
   suspended after he got into a shouting match with conservative radio
   host and former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka in the Rose Garden
   following a social media summit in July.

   U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras found that White House press
   secretary Stephanie Grisham's rationale for revoking the pass was too
   vague.

   "White House events appear to vary greatly in character," Contreras
   wrote in his opinion. "Thus, without any contextual guideposts,
   'professionalism,' standing alone, remains too murky to provide fair
   notice here."

   In a statement late Tuesday, Grisham said the White House "disagree[d]
   with the decision," arguing it "essentially gives free reign to members
   of the press to engage in unprofessional, disruptive conduct at the
   White House." She added that Karem "clearly breached well-understood
   norms of professional conduct."

   Karem's attorney, Ted Boutrous, told CNN he was pleased with the
   court's decision.

   "The White House's suspension of his press credentials violated the
   First Amendment and due process and was a blatant attempt to chill
   vigorous reporting about the President," Boutrous said.

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