Donald Trump’s Crackpot Media Ban Takes Wild New Turn

MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban news outlets he doesn’t like has taken another extraordinary turn: the Justice Department is now reportedly investigating the television networks that pushed back against him.

The DOJ—which is headed up by Trump’s former personal attorney, Todd Blanche—has launched an antitrust investigation into ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and even Fox News after the five networks temporarily suspended their shared coverage of the president in protest of his decision to bar three news organizations from the White House, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The newest escalation comes after Trump’s press crackdown backfired spectacularly last month, leaving the White House scrambling to get cameras back into presidential events.

The controversy began Sept.

18, when Trump announced via Truth Social that he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” The White House insisted that covering the president was a privilege, not a right.

But the decision sparked a revolt among the television networks that operate the White House press pool.

Rather than allow the administration to dictate which journalists could participate, the networks suspended their pool coverage altogether in solidarity with the banned outlets.

The boycott meant that some of Trump’s most anticipated events, including the unveiling of his new White House helipad and portions of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, happened without the typical television coverage.

The networks’ refusal to cooperate also created an awkward predicament for the administration, which could not simply replace the excluded journalists with reporters from other outlets.

A federal judge later intervened, ordering the administration to restore the three news organizations’ White House credentials after finding the restrictions likely unconstitutional.

The networks resumed their shared coverage on Sept.

25, but the White House continued to shut out individual outlets.

CNN was repeatedly barred from its assigned spot aboard Air Force One, while Politico was excluded from Trump’s Oct.

5 trip to Nebraska.