Throughout Trump’s term in office, his administration has been hostile to members of the media in the face of unflattering coverage. In many ways, Karem’s dispute amounts to the latest test of whether Trump is capable of learning from prior situations, as this is hardly the first time the White House has been sued for taking punitive action towards a reporter. Here, Karem claims that the White House is violating First Amendment rights and, just as importantly, denying him due process.
“Karem has, at this early stage of the proceedings, shown that he is likely to succeed on this due process claim, because the present record indicates that Grisham failed to provide fair notice of the fact that a hard pass could be suspended under these circumstances,” states the opinion from U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras. “Meanwhile, Karem has shown that even the temporary suspension of his pass inflicts irreparable harm on his First Amendment rights. The Court therefore grants Karem’s motion for a preliminary injunction and orders that his hard pass be restored while this lawsuit is ongoing.”
Karem’s lawsuit centers on what happened in the aftermath of a July 11 “Social Media Summit” where President Trump convened conservative bloggers and social media celebrities. That day, Trump followed the summit by giving prepared statements in the Rose Garden. Karem asked whether the president would take questions. Trump ignored him as some of the attendees began heckling. Karem then remarked, “This a group of people that are eager for demonic possession,” which he later characterized as Rodney Dangerfield-style comment that elicited laughs.
But Sebastian Gorka, one of Trump’s advisors, wasn’t amused, and in the Rose Garden, the two came to odds.
“You’re a journalist, right?” asked Gorka, gesturing sarcastically with air quotes.
“Come on over here and talk to me, brother, or we can go outside and have a long conversation,” responded Karem.
“Are you threatening me now in the White House?” asked Gorka.
The insults escalated.
On Aug. 16, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham notified Karem that his hard pass was being suspended for breaching standards of decorum. A letter informing Karem of the decision detailed his “disruptive and unprofessional behavior,” including how he “openly insulted the President’s invited guests” and “verbally accosted” Gorka.
Wow a nazi sympathizer trying to silence the press what a surprise