A Politico reporter was ejected from a Donald Trump rally in San Jose Thursday for reporting on the event without permission, according to Politico.
Ben Schreckinger, who identified himself as the reporter on Twitter, was typing on a laptop outside of the press section during the rally when a campaign staffer asked if he had press credentials, the Politico report stated. The campaign staffer consulted with superiors and then returned with the security officer to escort the reporter out of the event.
Schreckinger had been turned down by the Trump campaign several times for credentials, according to the site, and following the incident he was turned down for credentials for Trump’s next rally on Friday in Redding, California. He entered the event with a general admission ticket, like other members of the public.
The Trump campaign denied any knowledge of the incident. “The campaign is not aware of the incident or any details pertaining to it and therefore cannot comment,” spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in an email to Politico.
The Trump campaign has cracked down on where reporters are allowed to be during his rallies. Reporters have said that they were explicitly forbidden from leaving the press pen when Trump is in the room. The Trump campaign also reportedly requires reporters to have an escort when going to the bathroom.
The 4th estate should be terrified of Hair Dumpf
Trump’s open hostility to the press verges on suicidal. It’s going to do tremendous damage to his campaign, which has so far benefited from all the free - and mostly uncritical - publicity. Sad!
This isn’t news anymore.
But he works with Politico…why would he need press credentials??
Nothing like Freedom of the Press…I guess that’s not like the ‘right to bear arms’ or ‘freedom of speech’ that the Right frequently bastardizes in their rush to prove their victimhood creds but…