Karine Jean-Pierre is being sued by a White House disruptive reporter after new rules caused him to lose the press badge

Simon Ateba, the troublemaker in the White House briefing room, is suing press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre after new rules meant he couldn’t keep his hard pass — the credential that gives journalists 24/7 access to the media rooms of the presidential residence. president.

Ateba’s antics – interrupting speakers on stage, shouting over other journalists and sometimes ending briefings prematurely – have irked not only officials but other reporters as well.

The Cameroonian-born writer was repeatedly warned about his behavior but became a cause célèbre on Fox News after accusing the White House of censorship and Jean-Pierre of racism.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, he accused the White House of changing the rules specifically to keep him out of the briefing room.

“Defendants have the rights of Mr. Ateba violated the First Amendment by changing the criteria for hard pass credentials to deliberately prevent Mr. Ateba gets access with a hard pass,” the lawsuit reads.

All White House reporters had to apply to renew their hard passes this year.

Ateba, who writes for his own website, Africa News Today, was one of those who lost theirs.

On Tuesday, one of the headline articles on his website headlined, “Underdog Reporter Simon Ateba Fights for Press Freedom in Historic Case Against the White House.”

“My job is to ask questions, to ask difficult questions,” Ateba told Newsmax on Friday.

“The public has a right to know and the journalist has a right, a duty to tell.”

Despite the obscurity of his website, Ateba has repeatedly insisted that Jean-Pierre visit him during briefings. When she didn’t, he resorted to yelling.

In March, he interrupted a humorous session with the cast of “Ted Lasso” to demand that she answer his question.

He was met by a chorus of “decorum, please” from exasperated reporters, many of whom also struggle to get Jean-Pierre’s attention as often as they like.

Even before that, he had been berated by the White House Correspondents Association.

Ateba’s lawsuit names press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as the defendant

His case was filed Thursday in Washington DC District Court, setting out a case based on the First Amendment

“No reporter has the right to be summoned by any official,” then-President Steven Portnoy wrote in an email to Ateba he received from Mediate. “Preventing your colleagues from asking them questions is no way to seek relief.”

The association has not renewed its membership this year. It allegedly cited a lack of evidence that he is employed by a news organization that reports on the White House.

Still, Ateba insists he is singled out for unfair treatment.

“Like other White House correspondents, Mr. Ateba regularly interacts with and requests information from the White House Press Office for his reporting,” his lawsuit states.

“But in the five years since he joined the White House press corps, Mr. Ateba has been treated with contempt by the current press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, and her staff. communicate meaningfully with the White House.”

Ateba’s battles with White House officials have made him a favorite of right-wing media outlets

The new rules require reporters to be able to show proof of employment at a Washington-based outlet and to have an ID issued by a press gallery in the House, Senate or Supreme Court.

His lawsuit says Supreme Court credentials are hard to come by.

“The Congressional Press Galleries are only slightly better,” it continues.

Executive committees self-elected by the journalists who make up the Congressional Press Corps govern each of the four press galleries.

And these executive committees only issue press credentials to journalists they themselves deem “reputable.” As a result, the entrenched mainstream media has the power to choose which reporters have access to Congress and the White House.”

Along with Ateba, about 400 reporters also lost their hard passes under the new procedure.

They can still report from the briefing room, but must register for entry a day in advance rather than just using their pass to enter.