Time magazine photographer Chris Morris was on the edge of an enclosed media section when he was grabbed by an agent from the Secret Service, which has the job of protecting U.S. presidents and some presidential candidates.
Advertisement
During the first event, an agent viciously threw Time magazine photographer Christopher Morris to the ground as he tried taking pictures of Black Lives Matters protesters being ejected from the Radford, Va., event. They claimed Secret Service agents told them Mr Trump had demanded they be removed before he started speaking but a spokesperson for his campaign later said it was not the candidate’s request.
TIME posted a video showing the agent grabbing Morris by the neck and shoving him to the ground. The Secret Service says it is investigating the exact circumstances. The agent has not been identified.
“If a group at an event protests, it does not become an issue with the United States Secret Service unless our protectee is threatened”, said Kevin Dye, a spokesman for Secret Service.
CBS News reporter Sopan Deb shared a statement from the Trump campaign asking reporters to direct questions to law enforcement until they are appraised of “all details surrounding the incident”.
The rally was also interrupted by a number of protesters, who were chanting “no more hate” as they filed through the hall after being removed from the event. TIME said Morris was briefly detained.
“I’m sitting in a house in Florida with a very bad earpiece that they gave me, and you could hardly hear what he was saying, but what I heard was various groups”, Trump said on NBC’s “Today” show.
After leaving the complex where the rally was held, the students reportedly argued outside with police officers, who told them that they needed to leave the premises. Other videos show Morris, a camera around his neck, on his back kicking as the agent tries to subdue him.
Advertisement
Chris Morris says he was choked by an agent while trying to leave a group of media covering the rally in Radford, Virginia. “The Secret Service will provide further details as warranted once additional facts surrounding the situation are known”.
