Judge questions White House standards for revoking Playboy reporter's press pass

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A federal judge in Washington heard nearly two hours of arguments Tuesday about whether to restore the press pass taken from Playboy White House correspondent Brian Karem following a high-profile altercation with former White House aide Seb Gorka in the Rose Garden last month. Karem is suing President Donald Trump and press secretary Stephanie Grisham in a bid to overturn the 30-day suspension of Karem’s press pass the White House imposed on the grounds that he insulted guests during a social media summit and appeared to seek to instigate a fight with Gorka as the two men traded barbs in what quickly became a viral video moment.  U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras sounded disapproving of Karem’s conduct and disbelieving of the journalist’s claim that he was simply issuing an invitation to chat when he said to Gorka: “Come on over here and talk to me, brother, or we can go outside and have a long conversation.” Contreras called “less than credible” Karem’s claim the remark was an invitation to appear on his podcast. However, the judge also expressed concern that the White House was using unduly “murky” standards for “professionalism” and “decorum” that might have violated Karem’s constitutional rights. “As this event proved, the nature of journalism has changed quite a bit,” deadpanned Contreras, an appointee of President Barack Obama. “I’m trying to figure out where the lines are,” the judge added.

Contreras also asked several skeptical questions about the process the White House used and about Grisham’s decision to rely on an account Karem never saw from a Secret Service agent who stepped in to defuse the situation.