WH to restore Acosta's pass — with a warning
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration said Monday that it will fully restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s White House credentials, but warned that he must follow a series of rules at future press conferences.
White House officials Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Bill Shine sent Acosta a letter explaining his status. His press pass had been revoked after a dust-up at a news conference with President Donald Trump.
On Twitter, CNN declared victory, saying: “Today the @WhiteHouse fully restored @Acosta’s press pass. As a result, our lawsuit is no longer necessary. We look forward to continuing to cover the White House.”
It was an abrupt about-face for the Trump administration, which said Friday that despite a judge’s injunction allowing Acosta back into the White House, it would seek to bar him again in two weeks.
The White House’s letter made clear his credentials could be threatened again. The officials said that at future press conferences, each reporter would be limited to a single question, with follow-up questions permitted at the discretion of the president or staff. It adds that “’Yielding the floor’ includes ... physically surrendering the microphone to White House staff.”
