Jim Acosta got his White House press pass back on a temporary basis this morning, after a federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate him.
And as promised, he got back to work.
The CNN chief White House correspondent made his way onto White House grounds during the 1 p.m. ET hour, and was bombarded by fellow reporters.
“I’m really grateful to all of my colleagues in the press who stood by us in this hour,” Acosta told the swarm, which included cameramen/women, photographers, boom operators, reporters. “This was a moment that to me, it just felt like a test for all of us. It was gratifying to me that so that many of my colleagues banded together to make sure that we can continue to do our jobs over here at the White House.”
Acosta was joined by CNN’s Washington DC bureau chief Sam Feist, who was thrust into the role of “handler” while White House journalists briefly turned into media reporters. One asked Acosta if he had any advice for future journalists about what had happened.
It was pretty simple.
“The only advice I would give to future journalists is to do your jobs, day in and day out, and when you do your job, do what’s right, and follow the truth,” he said. “That has always worked for me, and I try to do that everyday that I come to the White House.”
Acosta added: “Journalists need to know that in this country, their First Amendment rights of freedom of the press are sacred and protected under the Constitution; and throughout all of this, I was confident, and I felt that at this would be the result at the end of the day, that our rights would be protected to continue to cover our government and hold our leaders accountable.”
.@CNN‘s Jim @Acosta returns to the White House after his press pass was temporarily reinstated after a federal judge ordered it’s return by the White House. pic.twitter.com/zk8ICIw98w
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 16, 2018