NYT accuses Pentagon of flouting judge's order blocking its press access policy

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The New York Times told a national justice Monday that the Pentagon has flouted the court's ruling blocking it from enforcing its argumentation limiting journalists' entree to the Defense Department headquarters. The Times urged the tribunal to compel the authorities to comply with the bid to reinstate property credentials

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman did not regularisation from the seat aft helium heard a 2nd circular of arguments from lawyers for the Times and the Trump administration. The Times said that Pentagon officials person implemented a revised property argumentation that circumvents the judge's March 20 ruling.

Friedman sided with The Times earlier this month, ruling that the Pentagon's caller credential argumentation violated journalists' law rights to escaped code and owed process. He ordered defence officials to reinstate the property credentials of 7 Times reporters and said his determination applied to "all regulated parties."

Times lawyer Theodore Boutrous said the Pentagon responded to Friedman's bid by imposing a new, revised argumentation that imposes "radical caller restrictions" connected journalists.

"They've lone made things worse," Boutrous said.

Government lawyer Sarah Welch said the Defense Department's revised argumentation connected media entree to the Pentagon includes respective "safe harbors" protecting reporters engaging successful regular forms of newsgathering. "The section has afloat complied successful bully religion with that (March 20) order," Welch told the judge.

In a court filing Sunday, Times nationalist information newsman Julian Barnes said Pentagon unit besides explained to him and his colleagues past week that their caller credentials would springiness them entree to a caller property country located successful the Pentagon library. But the lone mode for the reporters to entree the room is done a corridor oregon connected a shuttle autobus that they didn't initially person support to use, Barnes noted — prompting Judge Friedman to respond, "How weird is that? Is it Catch-22? Is it Kafka? What's going connected here?"

In October, reporters from mainstream quality outlets walked retired of the building alternatively than comply with the new rules. The Times sued the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth successful December to situation the policy.

Times attorneys accused the Pentagon of violating the judge's March 20 order, "both successful missive and spirit," by issuing a revised "interim" argumentation that bars credentialed reporters from entering the gathering without an escort. Plaintiffs' lawyers accidental the latest argumentation besides imposes unprecedented rules dictating erstwhile reporters tin connection anonymity to sources.

Barnes said successful his filing that Pentagon Press Office unit besides told Times reporters that journalists "would nary longer beryllium allowed into the Pentagon without an escort from the Department, and that an escort would beryllium provided lone for pre-arranged interviews, property conferences, oregon different specified types of events." He said they were told they'd request to taxable a petition astatine slightest a time successful beforehand to be these events, and requests would beryllium approved by the Pentagon Office of Public Affairs. That, helium pointed out, rendered the Pentagon Facility Alternate Credentials, oregon PFACs, "worthless," due to the fact that each reporters, adjacent without a credential, whitethorn entree the Pentagon if they are pre-approved by the property office.

He said that successful his 20 years of covering the Pentagon "this is the archetypal clip that the Department has ever barred reporters with [Pentagon property credentials] from entering the Pentagon without an escort, a reservation, oregon an invitation to a circumstantial property league oregon event."

"The intent is obvious: The Interim Policy is an attempted end-run astir this Court's ruling," newspaper attorneys wrote.

Government lawyers argued the Pentagon's revised argumentation afloat complies with the judge's directives.

"In effect, Plaintiffs inquire this Court to grow the Order to prohibit the Department from ever addressing the information of the Pentagon done a property credentialing argumentation with conditions that whitethorn code akin topics oregon concerns arsenic the enjoined conditions. The Order does not accidental that, and this Court should not work it to accidental that," Justice Department attorneys wrote.

The Justice Department besides argued that the court's bid did not accidental the Pentagon couldn't revise its property credential argumentation oregon contented caller property entree policies.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has said the medication would entreaty Friedman's March 20 decision.

The Pentagon Press Association, which includes CBS News and Associated Press reporters, said the Pentagon's interim argumentation preserves provisions that Friedman deemed to beryllium unconstitutional portion besides adding caller restrictions connected credential holders.

"The Interim Policy moves reporters' workspace to an annex installation extracurricular the Pentagon and prohibits immoderate newsman from moving wrong the Pentagon itself without an escort, further limiting their quality to really bash journalism successful the forum designated specifically for that purpose," an relation lawyer wrote.

The existent Pentagon property corps is composed of mostly blimpish outlets that agreed to the policy. Journalists from outlets that refused to consent to the caller rules, including CBS News and the AP, person continued reporting connected the military.

Friedman, who was nominated to the seat by President Bill Clinton, said successful his bid that caller U.S. subject operations successful Venezuela and Iran item the request for nationalist entree to accusation astir authorities activities.

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