Associated Press
Two prominent Floridians in the Donald Trump administration are being sued by the Associated Press.
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists.
The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its lawsuit, which names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“This targeted attack on the AP’s editorial independence and ability to gather and report the news strikes at the very core of the First Amendment,” the news agency said. “This court should remedy it immediately.”
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Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
14 comments
Peachy
February 22, 2025 at 9:10 am
There is no free speech at the AP. it is part of the liberal media propaganda arm.
TruthBTold
February 22, 2025 at 10:01 am
100%
MH/Duuuval
February 22, 2025 at 10:21 am
More Putin poodles.
JD
February 22, 2025 at 11:10 am
I got a question, what’s the liberal media propaganda arm’s end goal? What is it? It seems like now the “elite” billionares just did what you were screaming about. Socialism at its core is nothing more than oliargy when it runs it course.
So I ask you again, what is the liberal media propaganda arm’s goal you are so afraid of and trying to quell? I bet it’s nothing because it doesn’t existing, it’s something you manufactured so you can attempt to discredit news media.
Michael K
February 22, 2025 at 9:40 am
It’s a “Golf of Miss Understanding,” as the current president has spent half (15 days) of his time in the office playing golf, racking up Air Force 1 miles, and charging exorbitant rates to taxpayers at his properties.
Besides all that, if it is now against the law to call the Gulf of Mexico by its’ proper name for more than 400 years, we are all in deeper trouble.
TruthBTold
February 22, 2025 at 10:00 am
How ironic, the same people that censored us for speaking out against transism, NIH approved (and disapproved) COVID protocols, COVID shots, etc., are now waving the “we’re free to say whatever we want on media platforms” flag. Hypocrites!
Paul Passarelli
February 22, 2025 at 10:17 am
The AP doesn’t seem to understand. They are being called out for being untruthful. If the AP wishes to preserve the memory of the “Gulf of Mexico” a body of water that no longer “legally” exists, they can print it the same way they refer to “X.com” by adding the ‘clarifier’ “formally twitter” or “the artist formerly known as Prince”, etc.
By stubbornly refusing to call the Gulf of America the Gulf of Mexico, they are brazenly taking a stance that says they do not respect the authority of the President of the United States. That stance has consequences. It means that they are not receiving the benefits of being treated as first source journalists.
No one in the government has *RESTRICTED* their right to publish, only their primary access to the Washington elite. They can still reprint as a secondary publisher anything they gather from actual primary sources. And again, they still have the right to gather information, just not the privilege of getting it in the White House Press room!
As far as I’m concerned the AP forfeited its status and vaulted position by calling the 2020 presidential race for Joe Biden despite *KNOWING* that the election was stolen!
If the AP had any dignity left it would start cleaning its own house of partisan bias.
Michael K
February 22, 2025 at 4:21 pm
Wrong. The Gulf of Mexico most certainly does exist. Every book, globe, atlas, and map I own says so – and the entire body of water spans several international waters and countries, not just the US. Just ask Mexico and Cuba.
Few people outside the MAGA sphere have any idea what the “Gulf of America” is. In fact, it sounds more like the political divide being perpetrated on the American people and the world by a greedy convicted felon and the oligarch who controls him.
You could also ask the good people of Alaska who have always called it Denali – and refuse to call it by any other name. By your logic, the good people of Alaska should be exiled, banned, or arrested?
MH/Duuuval
February 22, 2025 at 10:21 am
Peachy believes in government-regulated speech, possibly the result of his own declining mental acuity?
Then again, Peachy wouldn’t know anything about the AP style book — the industry standard — because he doesn’t read.
Peachy
February 22, 2025 at 10:51 am
There you go again with the Putin Poodles remark. Putin invaded Ukraine when Slo Joe and Kammy, who couldn’t find Ukraine on a map were in power.
Peachy
February 22, 2025 at 10:58 am
I read plenty MH. You probably get your news from The View or MSNBC. 😜
Ron Ogden
February 22, 2025 at 11:46 am
The AP Stylebook. Yeah, maybe when they paid me a half century ago I read it, too. But the AP Stylebook is as dead as “hold the presses” and 90% of the broadsheets in America. The time anyone really gave a good GD about the press, and the time when its work mattered, is so long gone that there are examples of people who declared the press “long gone” are long gone themselves.
Oscar
February 22, 2025 at 3:20 pm
Sorry, but the AP style guide is anything, but ‘industry standard’ and is inferior to Strunk & White in every aspect. Might help to think before yapping and showing your ignorance.
Oscar
February 22, 2025 at 3:17 pm
Social fascist democrats cannot will at the ballot box, so they try to change the rules and when that doesn’t work they try to win in court. However, as Biden’s record of serial failure in court shows their efforts are futile. Democrats had better get used to losing.