A journalist was arrested on Tuesday and accused of being disruptive while trying to question Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and White House aide Kellyanne Conway in the West Virginia state capitol building.
Dan Heyman of the Public News Service said he was trying to ask if domestic violence was considered a preexisting condition under the GOP health care bill backed by President Donald Trump and passed by the House of Representatives last week.
Dan Heyman of @PNS_WV is in S. Central Regional Jail for "causing a disturbance by yelling quesitons" at @KellyannePolls & @SecPriceMD. pic.twitter.com/ucLrnhRCKY
— Public News Service (@PNS_News) May 9, 2017
In other news: WV Journalist arrested for trying to ask @SecPriceMD and @KellyannePolls questions during visit https://t.co/nUW6oiVNwH
— Josh Dorner (@JoshDorner) May 10, 2017
“First time I’ve ever been arrested for asking a question,” Heyman said at a news conference after his release. “First time I’ve ever heard of anybody arrested for asking a question.”
Jake Zuckerman of the Charleston Gazette-Mail posted a copy of the criminal complaint on Twitter:
Update: Man arrested at Capitol was a journalist with Public News Service, not protestor. Criminal Complaint below. pic.twitter.com/Hv6uyNV3ai
— Jake Zuckerman (@jake_zuckerman) May 9, 2017
The complaint claimed that Heyman “was aggressively breaching” Secret Service protection for Price and Conway and “was causing a disturbance by yelling questions at Ms. Conway and Secretary Price.”
Valerie Woody, who was on the scene with the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, said Heyman was simply trying to get Price’s attention as his entourage moved quickly through the capitol.
“I saw nothing in his behavior, I heard nothing that indicated any kind of aggressive behavior or anything like that,” she was quoted as saying by Public News Service. “Just simple, you know, trying to get somebody’s attention and ask them a question. It seems to me there was no violation of anyone’s space, or physicality, other than the arrest itself.”
Dan Heyman, reporter arrested "I was doing my job. We need these questions answered."
— ACLU (@ACLU) May 10, 2017
“This is my job. This is what I’m supposed to do,” Heyman said. “I am supposed to go and find out if somebody is going to be affected by this health care law.”
Hey Dan, if you want to make a statement to the public, it may help to go swim in a river and clean up a bit first. You look like a homeless bum.
well…… that made me spew coffee millard……………lmao!!
I guess he paid the Price..for yelling.
“Just simple, you know, trying to get somebody’s attention and ask them a question.”
Never question the king, don’cha know.
Verboten.