NBC Comes Clean, Promises To ‘Fully Cooperate With Authorities On Any Investigation’ After Judge Banned MSNBC From Court
NBC came clean and said they would cooperate with authorities with any investigation into one of their freelancers who was accused of trying to take photographs of the Kyle Rittenhouse jury.
They deny that their guy was there to interfere with the jury in any way but not many believe the spin. NBC issued a statement that said:
“Last night, a freelancer received a traffic citation. While the traffic violation took place near the jury van, the freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them.
“We regret the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities on any investigation.”
Judge Schroeder banned MSNBC from the courtroom earlier. He said a man identified as “James G. Morrison” claimed to be a producer with MSNBC. Morrison said he was under the supervision of a producer in New York. He apparently tried to follow the jury bus to take photos of the jurors but was pulled over by police after running a red light.
The judge said: “The jury in this case is being transported from a different location in a bus with windows covered so they don’t have to look at — aren’t exposed to — any signs by one side or the other, or interest in the case.
“So I’m going to call it a sealed bus. And that’s been done every day, and then they are brought here to this building.
“Last evening, a person who identified himself as James G. Morrison, and who claimed that he was a producer with NBC News, employed by MSNBC… the police when they stopped him because he was following in the distance and went through a red light, they pulled him over and inquired what was going on and he gave that information.”
He was trying to take pictures of the jury according to police reports. The Kenosha police said: “Last night a person who is alleging to be affiliated with a national media outlet was briefly taken into custody and issued several traffic related citations. Police suspect this person was trying to photograph jurors. This incident is being investigated much further.”
“This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is,” the judge said.
NBC Makes Statement About Man Following Jurors, Appears to Take Partial Blame for ‘Freelance’ Reporter pic.twitter.com/A91B8qJ0be
— Media Right News (@MediaRightNews1) November 18, 2021
Judge: "A person who identified as James Jim Morrison and claimed that he was a producer with NBC News, MSNBC under the supervision of someone named Irene Byon" was pulled over for following the bus of Kyle Rittenhouse jurors last night.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 18, 2021
Judge bans MSNBC from courthouse pic.twitter.com/PQ6RPCdDtz
Last night a person who is alleging to be affiliated with a national media outlet was briefly taken into custody and issued several traffic related citations. Police suspect this person was trying to photograph jurors. This incident is being investigated much further.
— Kenosha Police Dept. (@KenoshaPolice) November 18, 2021