RADFORD, Va.—An exceptionally raucous Donald Trump rally that was interrupted numerous times by protesters culminated in an altercation in which a Secret Service agent choked and threw down a photographer for Time magazine.
The rally, at Radford University on Monday, drew a crowd of about 3,000, most of them Trump supporters. But about 30 young supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement interrupted Mr. Trump’s remarks, chanting, “No more hate, let’s be great.”
Mr. Trump urged security guards to expel the protesters — “Get ‘em out.” As they were being removed, Christopher Morris, a veteran photographer for Time magazine, attempted to move out of a press holding area to take pictures of the protesters. As he did so, a Secret Service agent assigned to the Trump campaign told him to retreat. they scuffled, and the agent grabbed the photographer by the neck and threw him to the ground. From the ground, Mr. Morris kicked the agent.
In a statement, the Secret Service said it “is aware of an incident involving an employee of the Secret Service that occurred earlier today in Radford, Va. At this time, our local field office is working with their law enforcement partners to determine the exact circumstances that led up to this incident. The Secret Service will provide further details as warranted once additional facts surrounding the situation are known.”
Mr. Morris said he was there to shoot a cover photo for Time magazine of Mr. Trump. He said he had kept one foot in the press “pen” but moved slightly out to capture the protesters. Mr. Morris said when he and the agent got in a “shoving match,” he used an expletive. That’s when the agent grabbed him by the neck, and threw him to the ground.
“The Secret Service is there to protect the candidate, and I was never any threat to the candidate,” Mr. Morris said in an interview.
Before Mr. Trump spoke, an announcer had instructed members of the audience if they saw a protester they should “not touch or harm the protester” but instead draw the attention of security officers.
Mr. Trump’s rallies have often been loud and boisterous affairs, with tension between supporters and detractors, but Monday’s was among the most raucous yet.
Source : wsj.com
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