Sen.John Barrasso, R-Wyo., on Sunday downplayed concerns that President Donald Trump may have violated the Constitution when reporters from Politico, MS NOW and CNN were banned from covering the White House on Saturday.
Asked directly whether the president had violated the Constitution, Barrasso said, “No, I believe the press has an obligation to report fairly.”Pressed again on whether he agreed with Trump’s ban, Barrasso said, “We all respect and value the freedom of the press — it’s in the Constitution.”“He was banned from Twitter.He was banned from Facebook, and I didn’t see people come to his defense,” the Wyoming senator told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “So it goes both ways.
The press has an obligation to report fairly, and the president doesn’t see it happening that way.”Pressed on whether the president’s decision to ban the reporters from White House coverage violated the First Amendment, Barrasso demurred, saying again, “I believe the press has an obligation to report fairly.”He added that he believes Trump’s decision to bar those outlets from the White House would not negatively affect Republicans running for office in the upcoming midterm elections.“The bottom line on all of this is: This is not going to have an impact on an election 44 days from now,” Barrasso said.“People are going to go to the voting booth.
They’re going to make a decision based on their life, their future, what they believe is best for them and their families.”The president announced Friday that he was barring three outlets from the White House, writing in a post on Truth Social that he made the decision “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” The president also warned that “other outlets” could face similar action but did not name them.“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, o...