After Acosta's press-credentials restored, Trump vows he'll act against misbehavior
US President Donald Trump has vowed to throw CNN journalist Jim Acosta out of the White House again if he 'misbehaves'. Speaking to Fox News' Chris Wallace, Trump said they were in the process of making rules for the conduct of reporters in the White House. His comments came hours after Washington DC court ordered that Acosta's press credentials should be returned to him.
Looking back: Acosta was stripped off his powers as journalist
The row began when on November 8 Acosta got into a heated argument with Trump at a press conference. An intern tried to take Acosta's microphone away when he attempted to ask a follow-up question. Later, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shared a video in which she claimed Acosta laid his hands on a woman. Trump described him as a terrible person.
Media houses stand with Acosta, judge rules in his favor
Standing by its reporter, CNN sued to have his press credentials restored. In this quest, conservative-leaning Fox News too joined hands with CNN. US district judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, ordered that Acosta's hard press card to be restored immediately. Notably, Kelly emphasized how it was not appropriate to strip someone of credentials without following the due administrative process.
What judge Kelly said in the verdict
"Whatever process occurred within the government is still so shrouded in mystery that the government at oral argument could not tell me who made the initial decision to revoke Mr. Acosta's press pass," Kelly said on Friday.
Acosta calls it 'great day', Trump says 'no big deal'
An elated Acosta told reporters, after the ruling, it was 'a great day for the first amendment and journalism'. He added, 'Let's go back to work'. With his hard pass temporarily restored, Acosta gets easy access to the White House and other political events. But looks like the Trump administration isn't done with him. Trump said the ruling wasn't a 'big deal'.
If he misbehaves, we'll throw him out: Trump
Playing down the ruling, Trump said people have to behave and his staff was forming rules to be followed by reporters, which include number of questions to be asked. "If he misbehaves we'll throw him out or we'll stop the news conference," Trump told Fox News. "You can't take three questions and four questions and just stand up and not sit down," he added.
