NewsGuild-CWA and NABET-CWA Decry Violence at Trump Rally

The NewsGuild-CWA and NABET-CWA released a joint statement decrying violence at President Trump's rally earlier this week in El Paso.

The BBC said cameraman Ron Skeans was "violently pushed and shoved by a member of the crowd" while covering the campaign rally Monday night. Spokeswoman Charlotte Morgan said Trump could see the incident and checked with the BBC to make sure "all was OK."

"We have run out of words to describe the depravity and danger of [the President's] verbal attacks on journalists," NewsGuild-CWA and NABET-CWA said. "Trump would not need to check on the safety of journalists if he didn't use his words to rile his supporters."

USA Today reported that Trump said early in his speech that he was popular "despite the fact that the media refuses to acknowledge what we've done and how well we're doing it." The crowd then booed. "I guess 93 percent of the stories are negative. No matter what we do they figure out a way to make it bad," he said to an angrier round of boos.

The NewsGuild-CWA, NABET-CWA, and CWA are supporting federal legislation called the Journalist Protection Act that makes it a felony to assault journalists. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said Tuesday that he plans to reintroduce the bill with Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. 

"This is what happens when a President calls a free press the "enemy of the people" and whips his rallies into a frenzy. Assaults must not be tolerated," Swalwell said.