US Justice Department investigates five networks over Trump TV pool boycott

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is investigating ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News over whether their recent suspension of White House pool coverage breached federal competition law.

The DoJ has asked the five networks to hand over communications about the pool. It said their decision to stop covering President Donald Trump could breach the Sherman Act, the antitrust law that bars companies from monopolistic business practices.

“The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organisations have violated the antitrust laws,” a DoJ spokesperson said.

The networks have not yet commented.

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Why the networks paused coverage

Last month the five broadcasters stopped their presidential pool coverage for several days. They did so after the Trump administration withdrew reporters' credentials from CNN, MS Now and Politico. Pool members usually share their material with the wider media.

Trump barred the three outlets from the White House after accusing them of writing “fiction or lies” about his team. CNN, MS Now and Politico sued the administration, arguing the restrictions breached their First Amendment rights. A judge's ruling restored their access.

The First Amendment prohibits the government from “abridging” freedom of the press. Courts have traditionally read that language as preventing the government from discriminating against media outlets based on their coverage.

The administration’s wider dispute with the press

The investigation follows several legal actions the Trump administration has taken against US news publications, including lawsuits over coverage of the president.

In February 2025, the White House took control of the press pool. The White House Correspondents’ Association had managed the pool for more than a century.

That month, the administration also barred Associated Press (AP) reporters and photographers from limited-access spaces, including the Oval Office and Air Force One. It did so because AP used the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”. AP sued, and the case is ongoing.