Posted on 06/29/2015 11:10:47 AM PDT by Mount Athos
Officials with the Department of State threatened to call security Monday on a Washington Free Beacon reporter who was attempting to report on a briefing held by senior Obama administration figures in Vienna on the eve of an expected nuclear agreement with Iran.
Two State Department officials booted the Free Beacon from a room where Wendy Sherman, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, was talking to reporters, despite the Free Beacon’s being credentialed by the Austrian government for the ongoing Iranian nuclear talks.
Western observers present in Vienna for the talks linked the State Department’s behavior to jitters over media coverage revealing a still growing list of concessions being made to Iran by the Obama administration.
Melissa Turley, a State Department official, approached a Free Beacon reporter and demanded that he leave the room.
“You’re not registered with the U.S. press,” Turley said after being informed that the Free Beacon was attending the event.
“You have a press pass from the [European Union], not from me,” Turley said, after being informed that the Free Beacon was officially credentialed to cover the event.
Turley and her colleagues then threatened the reporter, instructing him to leave the room or be dealt with by “security.”
“I’m going to have to get security,” added another State Department official who came to assist Turley in ejecting the Free Beacon.
At one point, Marie Harf, another State Department official, was also involved in the situation.
The State Department officials said that if the Free Beacon has “a problem” with being removed from the briefing, it should file a case with Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee, who is president of the State Department Correspondents Association.
It is not clear why the State Department referred the Free Beacon to Lee.
During the briefing, which included around 30 reporters, Sherman was discussing the ways in which the United States will ensure under any final deal that Iran discloses its past nuclear weapons work.
Critics of the Obama administration’s diplomacy have in recent weeks expressed concern that Iran will be allowed to continue enriching uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, and not be forced to disclose the full extent of its nuclear weapons work.
Officials told reporters Monday in Vienna that that they would not press the Iranians to meet the international demand that inspectors be allowed to access all Iranian military sites. The administration’s stance comes after a speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruling out any such inspections.
One Western source present in Vienna for the talks said that “if this is what they’re already doing to reporters, to journalists trying to report on the concessions they’re making to the Iranians, imagine how bad things will get when the congressional debate over the deal begins.”
“The State Dept-hosted background briefings are for reporters traveling with Secretary Kerry and those who are members of the State Dept Press Corps, who are from outlets credentialed to attend the daily press briefings in Washington, D.C.,” Turley said in an email.
I found Melissa Turley in Linkedin.
She graduated high school in 2008 and from George Washington U in 2012.
And is now Associate Director of International Events in the Office of the Spokesperson at the Department of State.
Maybe 25 years old, wow.
If there were any “journalists” left in that room, they should have all left when the Free Beacon was kicked out of the briefing. Unfortunately, American journalism died decades ago, and was replaced by court stenographers, too busy trying to collect the latest media release from senior government officials and curry favor.
I’m sure Mr. Lee of the AP did nothing to help his colleagues from the Free Beacon. What a surprise.
“It is not clear why the State Department referred the Free Beacon to Lee.”
Because Lee is the designated lapdog?
so they left voluntarily? They should have taken video of their reporters being dragged from the floor making a scene.
Our Glorious Leader only tolerates press that properly reports only his greatness.
Correction:
Not Melissa Turley.
should be Melissa Turkey!
Why many Americans despise this evil and phony administration!
Hurray for the Beacon!
Somebody get that Austrian translator in here!
I probably would have been rejected as well.
The gestapo is alive and well at State.
Transparency ping. Thanks Mount Athos.
Harf...Harf...Harf
The State Dept Mascot speaks.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
Ooops....
But I bet Netanyahu will know, before sundown. I hope he takes appropriate measures when the time is right.
“You’re not registered with the U.S. press,”
The words of a fascist government.
IIRC, Fox had an issue a while back, and amazingly, the other media supported them.
The other networks insisted on Fox’s inclusion on the basis of their mutual pool arrangement, not as some show of solidarity.
http://www.mediaite.com/columnists/foxs-white-house-bans-fox-news-story-completely-unravels/
60s spoiled brats and their ideological litter occupation of buildings on Beltway campus continues . . . .
Exactly!
They are nothing but little control freaks that cannot handle any sort of criticism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.