A few nuggets re my story yesterday about how feds decided a Secret Service agent's choke-slam of a veteran Time magazine photographer at a 2016 Trump rally was A-OK. politico.com/news/2020/09/1…
One of Washington's top champions of photographers, @SenatorLeahy was deeply disappointed in the @DHSOIG endorsement of the agent's action. "Journalists and photographers should not be confined to ‘press pens’ for widely attended public events," Leahy said.
Leahy also said the body slam seemed to be part of "a disturbing pattern" of violence against journalists, including in recent protesters in Portland & elsewhere. The photog, Chris Morris, told me he thinks the agent was keyed up by Trump's anti-press enemy of the people talk.
Morris acknowledges dropping the f-bomb at the agent a couple times, but says that was after the agent grabbed him physically when a more polite request would've done the trick. He also says normal practice for USSS is to deescalate, not to pick a guy up & throw him over a table.
Another concern Morris & other press advocates raised: @DHSOIG and @TheJusticeDept seem to have accepted claims that Morris' possession of a camera made him more of a threat. But this could be a license for violence against any photographer or videographer.
One side note: Morris certainly doesn't seem like he was looking for a fight. Although the report refers to him as part of the press pool, he was actually set to photograph Trump on his personal plane.
In fact, Morris had his 'portrait' lights with him at the press platform, so he obviously wasn't expecting to get thrown out. In fact, he wasn't even really there to shoot the event but decided to make some pictures once a Black Lives Matter protest erupted.
One of the key issues the report doesn't really get into is what the security reason is for confining press to the press pen. (At some Trump rallies, it may be for the security of the press, but that should really be for the journalists to decide.)
There's also some background on the agent, William Figueroa. Seems like he spent time in Iraq transferring planeloads of prisoners. And he'd never been assigned to press duty before. So when he was told no one comes off the platform, he may have taken that like a military order.
Anyway, Morris says he's glad the agent wasn't fired. But would be more satisfied if it appeared the Secret Service adjusted its procedures to avoid an incident like this in the future. But there's no sign that happened. Indeed, if it did, the Service won't talk about it. ENDS
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For 2nd day in a row, GOP lawmakers hit Garland for proposing only 4 new DEA agents as Fentanyl deaths surge. But AG says real no. is 131, counting agents OK'd this year but not yet hired. Garland: 'The budget math and the actual math doesn’t always add up.'
Democrats are pointing out that across-the-board cuts GOP would impose government-wide as part of debt limit extension would actually slash spending by about 22%. Garland says: 'It would be devastating for our efforts to combat drug trafficking. Totally devastating.'
Garland says that would lead to 11,000 jobs at FBI being eliminated.
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Meza says Proud Boys rules barred those 'currently identified' as white nationalists. They're kicked out 'or they're supposed to be,' he says
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Durbin wastes no time getting to prebuttal of expected GOP talking points, brings up Hunter Biden (although not by name, just as the president's son)
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Proud Boys trial drama: defendant Joseph Biggs' lawyer Norm Pattis proposes 'simple & elegant' solution that he withdraw from case in part due to his bar suspension related to Alex Jones case. Patiis also cites 'irreconcilable differences' with co-counsel Dan Hull
Judge Kelly says he is inclined to let Pattis go but not until another conflict issue with Hull is resolved. Hull gets up calls what Pattis said a 'complete falsehood.' Judge cuts him off. Hull keeps talking. Judge: 'Mr. Hull, take your seat, sir!' Hearing recessed may return
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Carmen Hernandez, lawyer for Proud Boy Zachary Rehl: 'We're getting smacked with the media attention out of Jan.6 committee right as we’re starting trial...This case is a perfect storm of those prejudicial aspects.'
Hernandez: "I have never, never experienced the level of prejudice and ill-will toward a set of defendants....It’s completely out of whack with what we consider due process and fair trial rights...This is worse than anything I have ever experienced."