Vice President JD Vance defended President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, arguing that the outlets can still report on the administration without receiving access to the White House grounds.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Monday, Vance said the decision was “totally appropriate” and rejected claims that Trump was preventing the organizations from covering the administration. He argued that the White House is not required to provide special access to outlets the administration believes engage in what he described as “far left propaganda.”

“They can still report on the Trump White House,” Vance said. “They can still get the public reports” and speak with administration officials and others outside the White House.

Trump announced the restrictions Friday, accusing the three outlets of repeatedly producing “fake news.” Their White House reporters were subsequently denied entry and had their credentials deactivated or confiscated.

The dispute escalated Monday when CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit challenging the administration’s action. The organizations argue that revoking their access because of their reporting violates the First Amendment and due-process protections, and they are seeking an order restoring their access.

Vance also compared the dispute to complaints from Breitbart during the Obama and Biden administrations, questioning why a Republican White House should provide special access to an organization it views as hostile to the president. Breitbart was not barred from the White House during those administrations.

The lawsuit puts the administration’s media-access policy before a federal court, as the White House and the news organizations dispute whether the restrictions concern access to government facilities or amount to punishment based on the content of news coverage.