Posted on 04/21/2006 12:39:37 PM PDT by Jack Black
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A heckler from the Falun Gong spiritual movement who disrupted a White House appearance by Chinese President Hu Jintao was charged in federal court on Friday with harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington said the misdemeanor charge carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.
The woman, who entered the White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony between Hu and President George W. Bush on Thursday and shouted: "President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong."
The embarrassing episode marred the South Lawn event and created a diplomatic stir. Bush personally apologized to Hu for the incident.
U.S. officials identified the woman as Wang Wenyi, 47, a reporter with The Epoch Times, an English-language publication strongly supportive of the meditation movement that is banned in China.
Spokesman Channing Phillips said she was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service and that the U.S. Attorney's office decided to proceed by filing the federal charge in court.
The law at issue bars harassing, intimidating or threatening a foreign official in the performance of their official duties.
When she was arrested, the heckler was charged with disorderly conduct. The spokesman said that charge, under local law, could be brought later.
If it was anyone else the "heckler" would be an "activist" or "dissident."
I'm inclined to agree. It took a surprisingly long time security to evict her. And it also surprises me that she could have gotten a press pass at all. Isn't the competition for such passes fierce? Wouldn't it be odd for this little old Chinese lady to be admitted as a reporter when apparently none of the other reporters knew her?
If it was truly set up by the White House, it came off very effectively. It'll be interesting to see what her sentence is.
Didn't hear that, last I knew it was still in the Grand Jury.
Which would explain how the liberals get away with harassing President Bush every time he speaks to them.
Indonesian Falun Gong followers carry placards during a protest in front of U.S. embassy in Jakarta April 19, 2006. A group of protesters called on U.S. President George W. Bush to raise the issue of China harvesting organs from Chinese people during his talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is visiting the U.S. REUTERS/Beawiharta
That was classic!
"And we Chinese knew all along that Jack Bauer wasn't dead!"
We regret... that our tradition of freedom of expression caused you to hear things we're sure you would rather not hear.
I'm sick to death of all the Chinese a$$kissing going on by this administration.
The chinese continue to manipulate their currency trying to bankrupt this nation and build up their war machine in the process.
Ronald Reagan would of had nothing to do with this.
He'd be on the offensive.
I don't care about the comfort of a despot. I do care about being in the humiliating position of having to make an apology to said despot in order to satisfy diplomatic protocol.
She should have been escorted off much faster. It was embarrassing for our country. There is a place for protesting, but I do not think it is where the object is the officially invited guest of the President of the United States.
I doubt this ever comes to trial and would expect the charges to be quietly dropped in the near future.
I'd take the six months, and grant an interview per day, and write a column per day. This is an excellent soap box from which to continuously pound the Commies.
Yeah, I guess she could go out in the middle of Death Valley and protest. The "officially invited guest of the President of the United States" can go suck Mandarin duck eggs.
The article says they may still prosecute for that too.
The United "Door Mat" of America...
Why don't they just have a tank run her over, or shoot her and send a bill for the bullet to her family? This is disgusting.
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