For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.

CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and several White House aides, claiming that the decision to bar reporter Jim Acosta last week violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights.

“This is not a step we have taken lightly,” CNN president Jeff Zucker said in a note to staff Tuesday morning. “But the White House action is unprecedented.” In a separate statement, the network said, “If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers out elected officials.”

The White House has been accused of using a doctored video to claim that Acosta inappropriately “placed his hands” on a female intern during a tense White House press conference last week in order to justify his suspension. On Sunday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway challenged those allegations, asserting that the video was “not altered” but instead merely “sped up.”

The lawsuit seeks the immediate return of Acosta’s White House credentials.