New York Times sues Pentagon again over ‘utterly unreasonable’ press restrictions

Trump administration unveiled sweeping restrictions on press access at the US defense department last September Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The New York Times has filed a second lawsuit against the Pentagon, arguing that its recent policy requiring journalists to have official escorts when on Pentagon grounds is unconstitutional. The Trump administration unveiled sweeping restrictions on press access at the US Department of Defense, which it calls the Department of War, last September. In a suit filed in the US district court in Washington on Monday, the Times argued that an interim policy introduced in the spring had imposed “utterly unreasonable” restrictions on journalists attempting to cover the department. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of the New York Times and reporter Julian E Barnes, names the Department of Defense, secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell, and special adviser Timothy Parlatore as defendants. In the complaint, the Times argues that “to report effectively on the Department, a reporter often must speak with over a dozen officials sitting in Public Affairs offices spread throughout the building”. For decad