Make no mistake about it, Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his caucus tried to launch an all-out assault Tuesday on the First Amendment freedoms of the press. Apparently pushing a health care repeal bill through without a single public hearing or really anyone knowing what's in it wasn't enough cover for McConnell, so Republicans suddenly started telling reporters that in order to record interviews in the halls of the Capitol, they would first have to clear it with the senator and then the Senate Rules Committee—at that point, you may as well have arranged for a formal sit-down interview. In other words, such a restriction would completely choke off access for broadcast reporters and, if the GOP succeeded, no doubt clamping down on print reporters would be next.
What became immediately obvious is that the change wasn’t intended to protect Democrats, just Republicans.
Following the uproar after news that the GOP planned to upend a decades-long practice of allowing reporters to roam the Capitol looking for pertinent interviews, the Republican chair of the Rules Committee put out a statement to cover his butt.
Right—the GOP’s been working to ensure the safety of reporters and constituents “as they travel” through the halls of Congress. Is he for real? After incoming GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte clocked a reporter the night before getting elected two weeks ago, barely a single Republican called him on it. Now Shelby’s concerned about people navigating the treacherous halls of Congress?
Shelby appears to be hiding behind the cloak of “existing rules” versus the long-standing practice of reporter access.
Ranking Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar confirmed that Shelby told her no changes to press access would made without her input.
She also put out a statement making clear the momentary change announced this morning amid the news flurry of Jeff Sessions’ major public hearing and the GOP’s health care machinations was the result of Republicans’ “arbitrary enforcement” of an existing rule that conflicts with common practice on the Hill.
Just another day in the soap opera of total Republican rule in Washington.