Justice Department investigates five TV networks over suspension of White House pool coverage

The U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division is investigating whether five major television networks violated federal antitrust law when they suspended White House pool coverage of President Donald Trump last month. Officials contacted ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News on Friday and requested communications and materials related to the pool, according to people familiar with the matter and statements from the department.

Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington said the networks had “proudly boycotted covering White House events” and that “group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act.” The division is examining whether the temporary halt constituted an illegal coordinated refusal to deal. The networks have operated the television pool for decades, rotating the duty of filming presidential events and sharing the footage with other outlets.

The suspension followed a White House decision on 19 September to revoke credentials for reporters from CNN, MS Now and Politico, preventing them from entering the grounds. The administration said covering the president was a privilege, not a right. With CNN unable to fulfil its scheduled pool duties, the remaining networks declined to assign a replacement crew. For several days no major network carried live pool footage of Trump events, including a greeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping. A federal judge later ordered temporary restoration of access for the three outlets. Pool coverage resumed, but litigation continues. Separate disputes remain over access to Air Force One.

The inquiry is unusual. Antitrust challenges to the longstanding pool arrangement have not been brought before. First Amendment groups have described the investigation as nonsensical and an escalation of pressure on news organisations. The White House has framed the original credential revocations as responses to coverage it considers inaccurate. The networks either declined comment or said they expected to receive formal notification.

The Sherman Act prohibits agreements among competitors that restrain trade. Whether a short-term halt in a cooperative newsgathering system meets that standard will depend on the documents the division obtains and on how courts have treated similar boycott claims. The investigation arrives while the department is simultaneously defending the White House credential ban in court. The practical effect so far is additional legal process for the five networks and continued friction between the administration and the television press corps that covers the president daily.