The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the White House television press pool's decision to halt coverage of President Donald Trump last month violated antitrust law, an agency spokesperson said Saturday.
Emily Covington, a department spokesperson, said group boycotts among business competitors might violate U.S. law. "The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws," she said.
The announcement came after the television pool of five broadcasters ceased presidential coverage last month after the administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
Late Saturday, messages were sent to the five outlets seeking comment: ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC.
The White House press pool, a rotating cast of news outlets that cover the president, has become a proxy for the wider fight over whether the president, or anyone, can control the content of news reports—a type of free speech and a pillar of American democracy.