According to Sam Donaldson (video below) CNN is preparing  a lawsuit over the denial of a White House “hard pass” to Jim Acosta. Appearing on CNN’s Reliable Sources Sunday, the former ABC News correspondent claimed that he had been asked to prepare an affidavit for the suit, and had done so. Donaldson added (via the Washington Examiner):

"I hope I'm not mistaken, but it's my understanding that CNN and Acosta have sued, that there will be a court hearing on Tuesday on this very matter that we've been discussing," Donaldson said.

Remarkably, the host of the program, a CNN employee with the media beat, denied knowing of the lawsuit:

Host Brian Stelter replied that he was not aware of such a case.

And CNN denied that a suit had been filed, but not asking for an affidavit (or other preparations):

 A CNN spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that a lawsuit has not been filed yet. "No decisions have been made. We have reached out to the White House and gotten no response," the spokesperson said.

On the surface, a lawsuit contesting the decision to permit or deny a press pass seems silly, as there is no constitutional right to have a press pass. But we live in an era in which certain federal judges see their function as being the all-powerful second-guesser of executive branch authority, substituting their own judgment for that of the office-holders, including the president. But Donaldson sees it differently, arrogantly concluding his segment by saying:

….the president does not understand a lot of things about our Constitution, but I expect and I believe the courts will instruct him.

Watch below. Donaldson’s interview begins at 2 minutes 20 seconds: