January 16, 2020 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 795-9300 | www.rcfp.org The Honorable Mitch McConnell Bruce D. Brown, Executive Director Majority Leader, United States Senate STEERING COMMITTEE 317 Russell Senate Office Building STEPHEN J. ADLER Reuters Washington, D.C. 20510 J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE The Associated Press WOLF BLITZER The Honorable Charles E. Schumer CNN DAVID BOARDMAN Minority Leader, United States Senate Temple University MASSIMO CALABRESI 322 Hart Senate Office Building Time Magazine MANNY GARCIA Washington, D.C. 20510 USA Today Network EMILIO GARCIA-RUIZ The Washington Post Re: Restrictions on press access during upcoming Senate impeachment trial JOSH GERSTEIN Politico ALEX GIBNEY Jigsaw Productions Dear Senators McConnell and Schumer: SUSAN GOLDBERG National Geographic JAMES GRIMALDI The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the 57 undersigned media The Wall Street Journal LAURA HANDMAN organizations write in opposition to restrictions on the press during the upcoming Davis Wright Tremaine Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump. DIEGO IBARGÜEN Hearst KAREN KAISER The Associated Press It is our understanding that the Senate plans to impose restrictions on reporters in DAVID LAUTER the Capitol building that will impair their ability to cover the impeachment trial Los Angeles Times DAHLIA LITHWICK proceedings, which are of abiding interest to Americans from across the political Slate MARGARET LOW spectrum. The undersigned news media organizations echo concerns raised by the The Atlantic Standing Committee of Correspondents in its letter of January 14, 2020. JANE MAYER The New Yorker COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON The McClatchy Company Absent an articulable security rationale, Senate leaders, the Senate Sergeant at MAGGIE MULVIHILL Boston University Arms, and the United States Capitol Police have an obligation to preserve and JAMES NEFF promote the public’s right to know. Reporters must have the ability to respond The Philadelphia Inquirer NORMAN PEARLSTINE quickly to rapid developments and need reasonable access to lawmakers who wish The Los Angeles Times CAROL ROSENBERG to speak to the press. The reported restrictions on the use of electronic devices The New York Times and on the ability of reporters to question lawmakers as they move about the THOMAS C. RUBIN Quinn Emmanuel Capitol, as well as the additional security screening, will hinder reporting without CHARLIE SAVAGE The New York Times an obvious benefit for Senate security. BEN SMITH BuzzFeed JENNIFER SONDAG With these restrictions in place, journalists’ efforts to share timely and accurate Bloomberg News ADAM SYMSON updates and commentary on the proceedings with the American public will be The E.W. Scripps Company impeded. We ask that Senate security officials and the Senate Rules Committee PIERRE THOMAS ABC News reconsider these overly restrictive regulations. SAUNDRA TORRY Freelance VICKIE WALTON-JAMES NPR Please do not hesitate to contact Gabe Rottman, director of the Technology and JUDY WOODRUFF Press Freedom Project at the Reporters Committee, at [email protected] with PBS/The NewsHour any questions. SENIOR ADVISORS CHIP BOK Creators Syndicate JOHN C. HENRY Freelance TONY MAURO National Law Journal, ret. ANDREA MITCHELL NBC News PAUL STEIGER ProPublica

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Sincerely,

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of National Association of Broadcasters the Press National Journal Group LLC Advance Publications, Inc. The National Press Club American Society of Magazine Editors National Press Club Journalism Institute The Associated Press National Press Photographers Association Association of Alternative Newsmedia National Public Radio, Inc. Atlantic Media, Inc. New England First Amendment Coalition The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC The New York Times Company Bloomberg News The New Yorker Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC The News Leaders Association California News Publishers Association News Media Alliance Committee to Protect Journalists Newsday LLC Courthouse News Service The NewsGuild - CWA The Daily Beast Company LLC NYP Holdings, Inc. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Online News Association The E.W. Scripps Company PEN America First Look Media Works, Inc. POLITICO LLC Free Press Radio Television Digital News Association Gannett Co., Inc. Reporters Without Borders USA Government Executive Media Group LLC Reuters News & Media Inc. Hearst Corporation Reveal from The Center for International Documentary Assn. Investigative Reporting Investigative Reporting Workshop at Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. American University Society of Environmental Journalists Los Angeles Times Communications LLC Society of Professional Journalists The McClatchy Company TIME USA, LLC The Media Institute Tribune Publishing Company Media Law Resource Center Tully Center for Free Speech MediaNews Group Inc. VICE Media Military Reporters and Editors The Washington Post Mother Jones

cc: The Honorable Roy Blunt, Chair, U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

Michael C. Stenger, United States Senate Sergeant at Arms

Steven A. Sund, Chief of Police, United States Capitol Police

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