A Sign of Things to Come?

 

Trump’s antagonistic relationship with the press is well documented and he’s treated with more disdain than any other candidate in the race. Nevertheless, many — myself included — were alarmed that Trump wishes to open up libel laws and were aghast when he appeared to condone his supporters’ roughing-up of a protester. Well, apparently the intimidation game has progressed to assaulting reporters:

According to multiple witnesses present at last night’s Donald Trump press conference, where he celebrated another string of primary victories by showing off his dubiously-branded line of products, Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski “forcibly yanked”Brietbart News reporter Michelle Fields, “nearly bringing her down to the ground” as she tried to ask a question of the Republican presidential frontrunner.

The incident was not recorded, but was corroborated by the Washington Post. Breitbart’s CEO also issued the following statement:

It’s obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter. What Michelle has told us directly is that someone “grabbed her arm” and while she did not see who it was, Ben Terris of the Washington Post told her that it was Corey Lewandowski. If that’s the case, Corey owes Michelle an immediate apology.

Is this a sign of things to come in a Trump presidency? Can anyone provide justification for this kind of behavior? At the very least, Trump should fire his campaign manager or whomever else was responsible.

Published in Politics
Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 55 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    The Obama administration is already paving the way by threatening to sue “climate deniers” for RICO violations.

    • #1
  2. Vicryl Contessa Thatcher
    Vicryl Contessa
    @VicrylContessa

    Trump only cares about Trump, so why are people surprised that he will do anything to make himself look good.

    • #2
  3. Titus Techera Contributor
    Titus Techera
    @TitusTechera

    Larry3435:The Obama administration is already paving the way by threatening to sue “climate deniers” for RICO violations.

    There’s now a gold mine in put the RICO in Ricochet jokes? Great!

    • #3
  4. Quinn the Eskimo Member
    Quinn the Eskimo
    @

    I am old enough to remember when that assistant professor at University of Missouri called for some “muscle” to prevent a student journalist from covering a protest and conservatives thought that was wrong.

    • #4
  5. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    This will be a telling moment for Trump. Ted Cruz fired his Comm Director for far less – an act that demonstrated to me at least that the man has some integrity. I wonder if The Donald has any.

    • #5
  6. Guruforhire Inactive
    Guruforhire
    @Guruforhire

    Is it actually true?  I generally assume anything said about trump to be a lie.

    • #6
  7. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Also here is Ms. Fields in her own words:

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/03/10/3276486/

    Also for your own sanity stay away from the comments section. To call it a cesspool would be a disservice to cesspools.

    • #7
  8. Kevin Creighton Contributor
    Kevin Creighton
    @KevinCreighton

    Hey I know, let’s call them the Strumpabteilung!

    • #8
  9. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    It’s odd that normally outspoken Matt Broyles, editor of breitbart.com, has been strangely silent about his fav candidate’s campaign aides physically assaulting one of his reporters…….oh wait no it isnt. #NothingMatters #BoughtAndPaidFor

    • #9
  10. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Guruforhire:Is it actually true? I generally assume anything said about trump to be a lie.

    Corroborated by multiple sources. Are you claiming that Breitbart, the most in the tank for Trump organization outside of Drudge, would post lies that make Trump look bad?

    • #10
  11. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    Of course the hack Ann Coulter immediately denied anything even happened although it appears pretty certain it did.

    • #11
  12. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    Guru, you mean anything said BY trump is assumed a lie don’t you?

    • #12
  13. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Concretevol: Is it actually true? I generally assume anything said about trump to be a lie.

    I especially loved how at this very press conference Trump trotted out actual evidence of his lies and none of his supporters cared. Those steaks were fake – from a different company. That “magazine” is the annual hotel magazine available only at that particular club – not Trump Magazine. That water is also the hotel water (relabeled bottles from another company) – one might as well claim Hilton sells their own water when they give it to you at the front desk.

    And his supporters eat it all up. He is lying right to their faces and they don’t care. Trump has more disdain for his own supporters than anyone else.

    • #13
  14. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Didn’t the late, great James J. Kilpatrick used to say “politics is a contact sport”?

    • #14
  15. C. U. Douglas Coolidge
    C. U. Douglas
    @CUDouglas

    Considering that the Democrats have been increasingly interested in curtailing First Amendment rights — I believe Chuck Schumer stating something about limiting speech as necessary — it’s a disturbing trend all around. The impulse by Democrats and Republicans to do so, that more noise isn’t made about this, all this I find very troubling.

    • #15
  16. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    Jamie Lockett:

    Guruforhire:Is it actually true? I generally assume anything said about trump to be a lie.

    Corroborated by multiple sources. Are you claiming that Breitbart, the most in the tank for Trump organization outside of Drudge, would post lies that make Trump look bad?

    Almost anything said about Trump is a lie, if it is said by Trump.

    • #16
  17. Larry3435 Inactive
    Larry3435
    @Larry3435

    Jamie Lockett: Trump has more disdain for his own supporters than anyone else.

    Well, at least he shows good judgment in that.

    • #17
  18. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Make violence against women great again!

    (That was a joke)

    • #18
  19. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Larry3435:

    Jamie Lockett: Trump has more disdain for his own supporters than anyone else.

    Well, at least he shows good judgment in that.

    Look Trump supporters are wrong and making a bad choice, but we shouldn’t have disdain for them. They are being hoodwinked by a master charlatan.

    • #19
  20. J. D. Fitzpatrick Member
    J. D. Fitzpatrick
    @JDFitzpatrick

    Guruforhire:Is it actually true? I generally assume anything said about trump to be a lie.

    I’m just assuming that this is an attempt at humor–mocking the Trump supporters and enablers who don’t want to see the bad side of their preferred candidate.

    • #20
  21. erazoner Coolidge
    erazoner
    @erazoner

    Seeing as how Breitbart is arguably the prominent Trump fanboy site, I doubt that Lewandowski was even aware that Fields was one of their reporters. So that’s two strikes against him. If Trump doesn’t fire him (or worse, defends him), will his supporters remain stalwart? Of course they will.

    • #21
  22. Israel P. Inactive
    Israel P.
    @IsraelP

    Vicryl Contessa:Trump only cares about Trump, so why are people surprised that he will do anything to make himself look good.

    What exactly makes him look good here?

    Jamie Lockett:This will be a telling moment for Trump. Ted Cruz fired his Comm Director for far less – an act that demonstrated to me at least that the man has some integrity. I wonder if The Donald has any.

    I don’t know about integrity, but at least good sense.

    • #22
  23. Titus Techera Contributor
    Titus Techera
    @TitusTechera

    Frank Soto:Make violence against women great again!

    (That was a joke)

    First, a Soto joke that comes with an explanation is also in need of a disclaimer.

    Secondly, breaking news, evidence of Soto manhandling a woman–one who didn’t deserve it, that is…

    • #23
  24. MoltoVivace Inactive
    MoltoVivace
    @MoltoVivace

    No proof, didn’t happen.

    Though, I will say that I am usually pretty ambivalent to the media being mistreated. Personally, I think one should be forced to take a full on kick to the nether regions before one is accepted into a position within the media. Just to preemptively pay them back for all the lives they are probably going to destroy.

    • #24
  25. Eugene Kriegsmann Member
    Eugene Kriegsmann
    @EugeneKriegsmann

    Trump’s language and tactics set the tone for his aides and followers. He likes to play the tough guy using others to do his dirty work when anything really physical needs to be done. All of his “toughness” is in his mouth which is totally typical of most bullies. Somewhere in his early adolescence his emotional development was arrested, and he has remained that mouthy, belligerent, bully all of his life, only enabled by the money his father left him. It is a total disgrace to the party and the American people that he has achieved as much in this current race as he has. Politics may be dirty and nasty, but even it has standards, and in regard to those Trump is below acceptable levels.

    • #25
  26. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Jamie Lockett:Also here is Ms. Fields in her own words:

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2016/03/10/3276486/

    Also for your own sanity stay away from the comments section. To call it a cesspool would be a disservice to cesspools.

    Thanks. Many people here apparently assume that Lewandowski was trying to silence her. But Fields herself says the situation was incomprehensible. Trump and his campaign manager might not deserve the benefit of the doubt, but I’ll trust Fields’ own intuition since she was the one being yanked.

    Then again, Fields says she doesn’t want to be a focus of attention. So she might just be avoiding any direct accusation so that the Trump campaign doesn’t attack her.

    Incidentally, it’s interesting to think that these days an untrained security guard could grab someone without it being “assault” but a regular Joe would incriminate himself by doing so. America’s founders had a very different standard of what rises to the level of thuggery.

    • #26
  27. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    MoltoVivace: No proof, didn’t happen.

    Multiple corroborated accounts and the CEO of Breitbart, the most pro Trump outlet in existence, called for an apology.

    Maybe Trump wasn’t disrespecting his supporters intelligence when he said he could murder someone on 5th avenue and not lose support.

    • #27
  28. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    When I was at the Milo speech in Minnesota there were disruptive protestors who were led out by the police; Milo just smiled, as they were proving his point about the left’s inability to suffer contrary ideas, and made some witty riposte.

    Elsewhere in the body politic: Protestor punched as he’d led out of a Trump rally.  Video:

    Trump himself has not been quick to criticize the violence. After a fight erupted between protesters and police last year in Birmingham, Trump said: “‘Maybe he should have been roughed up.” Of a protester in Nevada last month, Trump said: “I’d like to punch him in the face.” In Kentucky, he said: “Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court. … Are Trump rallies the most fun? We’re having a good time.”

    I’m surprised after the punch he didn’t offer a Trump steak to put on the  bruise.

    • #28
  29. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    James Lileks:When I was at the Milo speech in Minnesota there were disruptive protestors who were led out by the police; Milo just smiled, as they were proving his point about the left’s inability to suffer contrary ideas, and made some witty riposte.

    Elsewhere in the body politic: Protestor punched as he’d led out of a Trump rally. Video:

    Trump himself has not been quick to criticize the violence. After a fight erupted between protesters and police last year in Birmingham, Trump said: “‘Maybe he should have been roughed up.” Of a protester in Nevada last month, Trump said: “I’d like to punch him in the face.” In Kentucky, he said: “Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court. … Are Trump rallies the most fun? We’re having a good time.”

    I’m surprised after the punch he didn’t offer a Trump steak to put on the bruise.

    So the guy who gets punched is arrested and the guy who threw it is left alone. Its also fantastic optics that it looks like a southern good ole boy hit a black guy and the black guy was thrown to the ground by police.

    Amazing.

    • #29
  30. Bob W Member
    Bob W
    @WBob

    Get ’em up against the Wall!

    • #30
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.