Sam Donaldson: Acosta, CNN Suing White House

CNN and Jim Acosta are reportedly preparing to sue the White House for suspending Acosta’s press pass after his tense exchange with President Donald Trump last week during his press conference following the midterm elections, the company said in a statement Sunday night after former journalist Sam Donaldson told CNN he had been asked to prepare an affidavit to support the network.

On @ReliableSources, Sam Donaldson said he's been asked to prepare an affidavit to support CNN. But no lawsuit has been filed. CNN said in a statement just now, "No decisions have been made. We have reached out to the White House and gotten no response." https://t.co/UYIgNIB8eJ

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 11, 2018

Trump and Acosta sparred after Acosta told the president he wanted to “challenge” him on one of the statements he’d made about an immigrant caravan heading through Mexico.

"You are a rude, terrible person," Trump told him at one point. "You should not be working for CNN. Go ahead. You are a very rude person, the way that you treat Sarah Huckabee Sanders is horrible. The way that you treat other people is horrible. You should not treat people that way."

Acosta’s press pass was revoked “until further notice” later that day, with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders justifying the move by alleging Acosta became physical with an intern during his exchange.

Donaldson told CNN’s Brian Stelter Acosta is “doing his job properly” and told him to “keep it up.”

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