As ballot counting continues in battleground state Arizona, the mainstream media has branded Trump supporters gathered outside the Maricopa County Elections office as an “extremist group,” despite lack of visible evidence of violence, danger or so-called “extremism.”
“Just walked out of the Maricopa County Elections Office to this where a large extremist group has re-gathered, extremely angry yelling ‘count those votes’ and screaming at the media and others in the area. They are angry claiming an unfair election and broken system,” CBS 5 and 3 reporter Briana Whitney tweeted, referring to the group of protesters who remained behind yellow caution tape.
Just walked out of the Maricopa County Elections Office to this where a large extremist group has re-gathered, extremely angry yelling “count those votes” and screaming at the media and others in the area.
They are angry claiming an unfair election and broken system. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/DvRXpTIVpv
— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) November 5, 2020
Whitney then said her coworker “had her life threatened out there by a man who said he would find out where she lives.”
At one point AZ rep Paul Gosar @RepGosar got on the megaphone in front of the protesters.
At the same time, my friend & coworker @KimPowellTV had her life threatened out there by a man who said he would find out where she lives.
Incredibly disappointing and not okay. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/rj0ky8h4iO
— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) November 5, 2020
Threats are not covered under the First Amendment. The specific nature of the alleged threat has not yet been made explicit or the threat itself corroborated.
Whitney made headlines back in May after she was assaulted live on air during a “Black Lives Matter” protest. Whitney referred to the group at the time as a “protest,” not as an “extremist group.”
THIS IS NOT OKAY.
This is the moment I was intentionally tackled by this man while I was on air trying to report what was happening during the protest at Phoenix PD headquarters. I feel violated, and this was terrifying.
Let us do our jobs. We are trying our very best #azfamily pic.twitter.com/bHXwbnDVPB
— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) May 30, 2020
CNN’s Chris Cuomo suggested that President Donald Trump is to blame, with “his own people chilling and scaring the people who are doing the counting that might make a difference for the President.”
Of course, Fredo Cuomo reacts to all this by blaming President Trump for having a “chilling” effect on our democracy with “his own people chilling and scaring the people who are doing the counting that might make a difference for the President.” (3/3) pic.twitter.com/XTHfY1t845
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 5, 2020
A CNN correspondent, Omar Jimenez, made waves back in August while in Kenosha, Wisconsin, calling the riots “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” as a fire raged behind him following mass looting and destruction. (RELATED: Editor Daily Rundown: Trump Sues In Pennsylvania, and Michigan, Asks For Recount In Wisconsin)
Democratic Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani suggested the protesters – to whom she referred as an “armed mob” – would be tear gassed if they were “Black Lives Matter” protesters.
Let’s be clear— If this was a BLM protest, the “armed mob” would have faced tear gas by now.
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani ???? (@AnnaForFlorida) November 5, 2020
Other media posted to Twitter at roughly the same time shows the pro-Trump protesters “peacefully kneeling in prayer.”
Trump supporters at Arizona’s State Capital peacefully kneeling in prayer. pic.twitter.com/pYdcFGUObI
— Cari Kelemen (@KelemenCari) November 5, 2020
The protests come after Fox News called Arizona for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden early Tuesday night despite not all votes having been counted, sparking backlash.
The Daily Caller reached out to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office but did not receive a response at the time of publication.