Clinton Admits He Wanted to Ban the Press Too

Bill Clinton said there were lots of times when he wanted to ban the White House press corps. He said it at the Clinton Global Initiative summit this week, right after President Trump tried to ban three outlets from the White House last week. The line got laughs. It should not have.

There were lots of times when… Bill Clinton stopped there. He finished the thought. He said he was glad he never did, and glad he could not. He said the law should be what it is. That is the part that matters. That is the part people skip.

President Trump announced on September 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from the White House grounds. He said it was because of cumulative stories over the past few years. He called the coverage fake news. He said other outlets could follow. Reporters showed up Saturday morning. Their passes were taken. They were turned away.

Three days later, on September 22, the three outlets filed suit in federal court in Washington. They said the ban violated the First Amendment. They said there was no notice. There was no process. The government does not get to decide what the press reports. That is the claim. It is not a small claim.

On September 24, a federal judge ordered the White House to restore access. Judge Tim Kelly said the ban was likely unconstitutional. The reporters went back in. The ban was lifted for now. The case is not over. The legal question is still live.

This is not new. In 1977, the D.C. Circuit ruled in Sherrill v. Knight that the White House cannot deny a press pass based on what a journalist writes. The court said there must be reasons given in writing. There must be a chance to respond. Content-based criteria are not allowed. That rule has held through Democratic presidents and Republican presidents. It held until last week.

Bill Clinton knows this. He lived through the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He lived through impeachment. He said he wanted to ban the press corps. He said he was glad he could not. That is the right answer. That is the answer the Constitution demands.

President Trump did not wait for the courts. He did not wait for process. He announced a ban on social media. He said it was cumulative. He did not name specific stories. He did not name specific lies. He said other outlets could follow. He named the New York Times. He named the Washington Post. That is a threat. It is not a policy.

The White House said the ban took effect Saturday. Fox News reported it, citing an unnamed senior official. The outlets said their passes were confiscated. They said they were denied access to the grounds. They said they would sue. They did sue. The judge said the ban was likely unconstitutional. The reporters went back in.

This is how it starts. Not with a law. Not with a vote. With a post. With a statement. With a ban that is enforced until a court says stop. That is the pattern. It is not a new pattern. It is the pattern from 2017. It is the pattern from 2020. It is the pattern now.

Bill Clinton said none of us are immune from being pissed off. He is right. That is why there is a Constitution. That is why there are courts. That is why the White House cannot ban reporters because it does not like the stories. That is the rule. It is a simple rule. It is a rule that was clear before last week. It is a rule that is still clear.

President Trump said something is wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories. He said it in the Oval Office. He said it on social media. He said the outlets should not be able to report fiction and lies when they cover the president. That is a fair complaint. It is not a legal basis for a ban. It is not a basis for anything but a press conference. Or a response. Or a lawsuit for libel. That is the process. That is the rule.

The judge lifted the ban. The reporters went back in. The case is still pending. The question is still open. The question is whether the president can ban outlets he does not like. The answer should be no. The answer has been no since 1977. The answer is still no.

Bill Clinton said he was glad he could not ban the press. He said the law should be what it is. That is the line that should stick. That is the line that should matter. That is the line that should be the headline. It is not. The headline is the ban. The headline is the fight. The headline is the drama.

The drama is not the story. The story is the rule. The rule is the Constitution. The rule is the court. The rule is the process. The rule is the law. That is the story. That is the story that should be told. That is the story that is not being told.

President Trump attempted to ban three outlets from the White House last week. He did it. He was stopped. He may try again. He may not. The case is still pending. The question is still open. The answer should be no. The answer has been no. The answer is still no.

Bill Clinton said there were lots of times when he wanted to ban the White House press corps. He said he was glad he could not. He said the law should be what it is. That is the line. That is the line that should be the headline. That is the line that should be the story. That is the line that should be the rule. That is the line that should be the law. That is the line that should be the answer. That is the line that should be the end.