To be fair, it hasn't been just Virginia Foxx. Several other thuggish Republicans have abused their authority and asked the long arm of the law to "do something" about me.
In case you haven't happened upon my new place, over at http://thecrookeddope.com you'll find video after video of me interviewing Senators and Representatives as they make their way around the Hill. For the most part, I concentrate on Republicans, but from time to time I'll talk to an independent (I'm looking at you Joe Lieberman).
Anyway, because I often insist on asking questions that make politicians squirm, I sometimes find myself an unwelcome presence. Instead of sucking it up and accepting that certain things come with the job, it seems several thin-skinned Republicans would rather harass me by calling the Capitol Police. Virginia Foxx is one of them.
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The most recent example came last night. The House had called a vote and I saw Foxx making her way to the Capitol with another Representative. I figured that this would be a good opportunity to interview two Representatives at the same time, so I made my way over and asked if they had any comment on Rush Limbaugh's trouble purchasing a football team.
Suddenly Virginia Foxx bolted. That little ol' lady sprinted ahead and across the street. (Here's the video of the exchange. At the end you hear "Excuse me". That was the Police. They don't like having their security operations filmed, so I turned the camera off as soon as they began the detention process.) I followed her with my camera and commented on her vitality with tongue planted firmly in cheek. To me, it was pretty funny that she was so obviously afraid of the video camera.
Or at least I thought it was funny. The next thing I knew, I was being summoned by a not-so-amused Capitol Policeman. For the next 15-20 minutes I was detained while they ran my ID and did a background check. Virginia Foxx had complained to them that I was "bothering" her.
So this is what it comes to: ask a politician a question, get jacked up by the police.
It wouldn't have really phased me, except that this was the second time Foxx had pulled this stunt on me. The first time happened last week when I asked her if she wanted to condemn Limbaugh's invocation of Nazism and Adolph Hitler in his discussions of health care and Nancy Pelosi, respectively. That time, she just put her head down and walked through a "Members Only" door to a House office building. Less than ten minutes later, I found myself surrounded by five Capitol Police for about thirty minutes before being let go.
And like I said, this isn't limited to Virginia Foxx. I've been detained at least 6-8 times over the weeks I've been covering the Hill.
The worst part about this is that I'm meticulous in following the rules and I go out of my way to take preventative measures. Those of you that have visited the Capitol recently know that these Police are heavily armed. They carry big weapons and they are omnipresent. Every day - and at every shift change - I introduce myself to the Police I'm most likely to cross paths with, let them know what I'm doing and tell them I know the rules:
- You cannot intentionally impede anyone's progress. I can't stand in their way to get the story.
- Unwanted touching constitutes assault.
- I cannot enter certain clearly defined restricted areas.
Look. I know where I am. I know that these cops are tasked with an immeasurably serious and important duty. I do not blame them for doing what they must when they get complaints.
But this has got to be stopped. Powerful lawmakers, because they do not like being asked difficult or embarrassing questions, are harassing the press under color of law.
Update [2009-10-14 23:42:0 by Mike Stark]: Just thought to add this: how foolish of these folks to make these calls! The footage stored in my camera establishes my innocence to a significant degree. Moreover, the Capitol is infested with street cameras - you can't wiggle an earlobe without being caught on tape. So it's particularly silly for these folks to bigfoot me by calling on the Police.
One other thing I forgot to mention in the original version of this diary: the first time Foxx called the Police on me, she asked that they confiscate my camera. I didn't have to, and I don't think most media would, but I allowed the Police to examine the footage I shot so that they could, on the spot, verify that Foxx's charges were unfounded. At the time, I suspected that she was the instigator of the Police action, but I couldn't be certain. Now I know for sure.
Another point: I doubt Foxx would have done this if I had New York Times press creds draped around my neck. (Of course, the New York Times isn't that interested in asking tough questions - access is much more valuable to them, but set that aside for a moment). What this demonstrates is that bloggers and citizen journalists still face an uphill battle in many respects.
Finally, I want to be clear that I don't blame the individual policeman for any of this. To a person, they have been professional in all the interactions I've had with them. But... I do blame the lack of proper procedure. When dispatch takes a complaint - especially when it involves a complaint against the press - they should work to get specifics. And "He's bothering me" should not compel a stop and frisk.