WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether the White House television press pool violated antitrust law when it stopped covering President Donald Trump last month, a department spokesperson said Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
‘The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws,’ spokesperson Emily Covington said, adding that group boycotts among competitors might break the law.
The pool, made up of ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC, halted coverage after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Those outlets sued, and a judge granted them a temporary reprieve. Pool coverage has since resumed.
Jose Zamora of the Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the probe. ‘The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access,’ he said on X.
Sources: Associated Press via KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: The White House / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
