Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration have reportedly launched an investigation into five media outlets over their responses to him enacting an unconstitutional press ban.
According to The New York Times, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun investigating whether ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News violated antitrust laws by temporarily boycotting coverage of the president last month.
The outlets did so after Trump abruptly announced that he was banning CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House for publishing "Fake News," a move that was later deemed "unconstitutional" and undone by a federal judge.
In a statement to CNN, a DOJ spokesperson said the "boycotts among commercial competitors" could be a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act - a federal statute that prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace.
"The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws," the spokesperson said.
In his second term, Trump has escalated clashes with major media outlets that dare to share negative reporting about him.
The three outlets he originally banned quickly filed a lawsuit requesting a temporary restraining order against the ban, arguing it violates the First Amendment, which upholds the right to a free press.
With the granted order scheduled to expire on October 8, the outlets recently asked the judge to make it permanent, as they believe Trump will "retaliate" with a "complete ban" against all news outlets he doesn't like.