A veteran Republican lawmaker wants answers after security guards at the Federal Communications Commission allegedly "manhandled" a reporter at the agency's headquarters.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement he would like the FCC to examine what happened Thursday between CQ Roll Call reporter John Donnelly and two security guards following a press conference with FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
"The Federal Communications Commission needs to take a hard look at why this happened and make sure it doesn't happen again," Grassley said. "As The Washington Post pointed out, it's standard operating procedure for reporters to ask questions of public officials after meetings and news conferences. It happens all day, every day.
"There's no good reason to put hands on a reporter who's doing his or her job."
Donnelly said security guards at the FCC had been "shadowing" him all day, and when he approached O'Rielly and Pai to ask a question, he said two guards forced him against a wall and held him there until the officials passed. He was then escorted from the building.
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