The Trump campaign continues its tumultuous relationship with the media. Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger was escorted from a Trump press conference on Tuesday night, denied access to the event despite having been issued credentials earlier in the day. The report:
The move followed a threat last week from Trump officials to exclude POLITICO reporters from campaign events.
On Tuesday morning, Schreckinger, who has covered the campaign regularly for more than six months, received an email granting him credentials for Trump’s speech and press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida that evening. But less than 10 minutes later, another email arrived saying those same credentials were denied. Upon arriving at Trump’s private club, he was denied entry and escorted off of the property.
Schreckinger, whose latest story on Trump campaign was a report on concerns about campaign manager Corey Lewandowski’s temperament and behavior, never received an explanation as to why his credentials have been denied. Neither Lewandowski nor Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks responded to requests for comment.
Some may relish a campaign’s choice to stand against the media. But considered in full context, the exclusion of a critical reporter bodes poorly for freedom of speech and press under a Trump administration. The candidate has solicited loyalty oaths from supporters and made volunteers sign contracts barring them from speech critical of the campaign. He has declared his intent to loosen libel laws and “go after” reporters and publications that criticize him. All things considered, regardless of what one thinks of Politico, this type of intimidation from a political campaign should give voters pause.
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