Corrupt Pruitt cowardly violates the First Amendment

The Environmental Protection Agency blocked reporters from several news outlets from a national summit on Tuesday where Scott Pruitt, the agency's chief, was speaking.

Journalists from CNN, the Associated Press and E&E News, a publication that covers energy and environment issues, were barred by the EPA from entering the event, which was focused on harmful chemicals in water. A handful of other reporters from other news organizations, however, were allowed inside the event for Pruitt's opening remarks after having been previously invited by the agency the day before.

In a statement, Jahan Wilcox, an EPA spokesman, said the agency barred reporters from attending due to space limitations inside the venue. He said the EPA was able to accommodate only 10 reporters and that it provided a livestream "for those we could not accommodate."

A report published by The Hill, however, said a handful of seats in the press section remained vacant by the time Pruitt began speaking. Another reporter told Politico there were dozens of empty seats in the room, and a photo obtained by CNN also showed space for cameras.

Additionally, the Associated Press said in a story that one of its reporters, denied entry, was grabbed by security guards and forcibly shoved out of the building after asking to speak to an EPA public affairs person. A CNN photographer saw the female journalist being shoved out of the building by a uniformed guard, and the Associated Press journalist recounted the incident to CNN immediately after it took place.

This was the hearing at which questions were going to be asked why Pruitt was barring publication of a report showing levels of toxic chemicals in drinking water at sites around the country were six times more dangerous at the levels previously indicated. These sites are mainly in places which voted for the con artist and as at least one political appointee in the EPA said, "The impact to EPA and [the Defense Department] is going to be extremely painful. We (DoD and EPA) cannot seem to get ATSDR to realize the potential public relations nightmare this is going to be.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/14/emails-white-house-interfered-with-science-study-536950

For the record, had this happened during the Obama administration one can be assured the Fox tabloid would be all over this claiming a Constitutional violation. Needless to say, they are silent on this matter since they are not a real news organization.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/22/media/epa-cnn-associated-press-blocked/index.html

They're referring this matter to Greg Gianforte.

It's possible to be upset without hyperbole.

That's unlikely to be a 1st Amendment case in the limited amount I've seen. Courts have generally held the 1A doesn't provide the press any special access rights over other citizens. I couldn't have just shown up and walked into that forum. CNN doesn't have any special constitutional right to do what I can't regardless of how much space was available.

wheres_the_beef said:

It's possible to be upset without hyperbole.

That's unlikely to be a 1st Amendment case in the limited amount I've seen. Courts have generally held the 1A doesn't provide the press any special access rights over other citizens. I couldn't have just shown up and walked into that forum. CNN doesn't have any special constitutional right to do what I can't regardless of how much space was available.

Click to expand...

Except when it is deliberately done, then the government is in violation.

The stated reason was because there were a limited number of seats. However, photographic proof showed there were empty seats available.

wheres_the_beef said:

It's possible to be upset without hyperbole.

That's unlikely to be a 1st Amendment case in the limited amount I've seen. Courts have generally held the 1A doesn't provide the press any special access rights over other citizens. I couldn't have just shown up and walked into that forum. CNN doesn't have any special constitutional right to do what I can't regardless of how much space was available.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to Fox and Breitbart being kicked out of a news conference and your having the same attitude.

For the second day the corrupt and cowardly Pruitt barred news media from attending a national summit focused on water contaminants. This time they added to their unconstitutional actions by barring two more news organizations who have refused to coddle the con artist.

In effect, by reporting the truth, these news organizations are being targeted by a regime which has taken its cue from its puppet master in Moscow.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/23/media/epa-blocks-journalists-summit/index.html

Not only did Pruitt violate the First Amendment, he also prevented the very people who are affected by the chemicals from appearing or watching the two meetings, prevented environmental groups who had been warning about the chemicals to the public from making their voices heard, and in what amounts to the grandest collusion, allowed the American Chemistry Council to make its voice heard the industry's "innovation" in developing new products which "have significantly improved hazard profiles compared to the legacy products."

After all, who else to have a meeting about a report on toxic chemicals which was suppressed than the very people who created the mess and are not liable for cleaning up the mess they created? Forget the people being affected by the chemicals, what does the industry have to say about it?

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/26/politics/epa-chemical-water-conference-victims/index.html