(Bloomberg) -- A long-simmering battle between President Donald Trump and CNN escalated Tuesday with the cable news network suing Trump and his top aides over the revocation of press credentials of its correspondent Jim Acosta.

The unusual step taken by CNN seeks a judge’s order requiring the White House to return Acosta’s pass, which was revoked after an altercation between the correspondent and a White House aide who was trying to take a microphone away from him as he persisted in asking questions of Trump at a press conference last week. Trump has called CNN “fake news” and frequently disparaged Acosta.

The White House revoked Acosta’s pass that allows him unescorted on the White House grounds, arguing that he had laid his hands on the aide -- a claim that was disputed by many of Acosta’s colleagues.

“While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone,” CNN said in a statement. “If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House could create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association said in a statement that it supports CNN.

“The President of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him,” Olivier Knox, WHCA president, said in a statement on Twitter.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andrew Harris in Washington at aharris16@bloomberg.net;Gerry Smith in New York at gsmith233@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider, David S. Joachim

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