CNN has a "very good case" in its lawsuit against the White House over the Trump administration's decision to take away reporter Jim Acosta's press pass, Fox News legal commentator Andrew Napolitano said on Tuesday.
“The only grounds for revoking the pass are, 'Is the person a danger to the physical security of the president or his family?'” Napolitano said, adding that, “obviously, Acosta may have been an irritant to the president, but he was hardly a danger to him."
This fact makes it clear that “CNN’s got a very good case,” Napolitano said, emphasizing that “I think this will be resolved quickly. I don’t expect a jury trial. I think it will either be settled or CNN will prevail on the motion.”
When asked about what some consider Acosta’s aggressive and rude behavior, Napolitano dismissed that as “part of the rough and tumble of the First Amendment,” adding that Thomas Jefferson’s quote should be remembered that “I would rather have newspapers without government than a government without newspapers.”
Napolitano agreed it was “a bit hyperbolic, but you can understand the value of the free press to the Founders."
CNN issued a statement saying, "While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials," The Hill reported.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the lawsuit was "just more grandstanding from CNN" and stressed that CNN “has nearly 50 additional hard pass holders, and Mr. Acosta is no more or less special than any other media outlet or reporter with respect to the First Amendment.”