As we’ve previously reported, the White House suspended the press pass of Playboy reporter & CNN commentator Brian Karem for 30 days after he made a scene during an event in the White House Rose Garden. Karem and his lawyer later filed a lawsuit, and now that there are two weeks left in the suspension, Karem and his lawyer are demanding the immediate return of his press credentials:

.@Brian Karem, known for his aggressive questoning at White House events, had his press pass suspended for 30 days. . . His attorney @BoutrousTed says this "violates the First Amendment" and due process. "I just want to go back and do my job," Karem says. https://t.co/yfJP27IlL3 — Ted Boutrous (@BoutrousTed) September 1, 2019

"I am provocative, and I am a smart aleck. But I'm not going to apologize for that. That's OK under the First Amendment," @BrianKarem says to @brianstelter. — Ted Boutrous (@BoutrousTed) September 2, 2019

Supreme Court: We have “a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” — Ted Boutrous (@BoutrousTed) September 2, 2019

Karem explained his side of the story on CNN. Brian Stelter told Karem he thought his behavior was inappropriate, but Karem invoked former WH reporters such as Sam Donaldson and Helen Thomas in defending himself:

"I am provocative, and I am a smart aleck. But I'm not going to apologize for that. That's OK under the First Amendment," @BrianKarem says. Here's his explanation of the spat with Sebastian Gorka and the White House's 30-day suspension of his press pass pic.twitter.com/f1pyMwJaPf — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 1, 2019

Karem finished up with this:

My wife tells me I have learned to embrace my inner smartass. Happy Labor Day! @realDonaldTrump @BoutrousTed @brianstelter https://t.co/AnSy1uI14W — Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) September 1, 2019

Sure, but obviously the White House doesn’t have to embrace it.

He challenged a White House guest to a fist fight after insulting attendees. https://t.co/pjHdc6FZDK — Matthew Dempster (@dempstermd) September 1, 2019

We don’t recall Helen Thomas or Sam Donaldson ever doing that.