A Colorado man attacked a television news reporter, asked him if he was a citizen, and mocked him for saying this was normal in the United States, where Donald Trump is about to take office for a second term, according to criminal court documents.
The man, Patrick Thomas Egan, was arrested in Grand Junction on Dec. 18 on suspicion of bias crimes, second-degree assault and harassment.
Mr. Egan is scheduled to appear in court on January 2 to determine whether he has been formally charged.
Police said Egan, 39, followed the car of KKCO/KJCT reporter Jaron Alex, who later told police he believed he was targeted because he is a Pacific Islander.
According to an arrest affidavit in the case, Egan arrived in a taxi, pulled up next to Alex, who was on duty at the time, at a stoplight and asked, This is President Trump’s America now! I’m a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you! ”
The affidavit states Egan tackled Alex and put him in a headlock, then “began choking” him, and co-workers jumped out to help.
According to the documents, witnesses said Alex appeared to have trouble breathing during the attack, which was caught on surveillance video, the Associated Press reported.
Although the assault allegations appear to be isolated, a hostile political environment for news organizations has led President Trump to label them “enemies of the people,” “a threat to democracy,” “fake” and “crooked.” It is called. He deployed this rhetoric during his first presidential term, from 2017 to 2021, and during his successful bid to return to the White House in November’s election.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation said in November that 75 cases of assault against journalists had been recorded since January 1 of this year, a 70% increase compared to 2023.
A recent survey of journalists receiving safety training provided by the International Women’s Media Foundation found that 36% of respondents reported receiving threats or physical violence, and 28% reported receiving legal threats or It turned out that he had reported that he had been subject to disciplinary action.
However, nearly a quarter (23%) of Americans surveyed did not consider political attacks on journalists and news organizations to be a threat to press freedom. The City University of London report found that 38% of them identified as Republicans, compared to just 9% as Democrats.
These findings are consistent with another Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll that found most American adults are tired of the news industry’s political coverage.
