Judge Bruce Schroeder had already displayed his contempt publicly with most of the mainstream media’s coverage of young Kyle Rittenhouse, falsely claiming that the teenager was a gun-toting vigilante and a white supremacist, gunning down unarmed innocent protesters.
So when Judge Schroeder heard Thursday morning that an MSNBC staffer was following the jury van, Schroeder quickly banned the leftist cable affiliate from the courthouse.
NBC News, the parent company, attempted to downplay the incident, insisting on Thursday, following Schroeder’s order, that it was all an innocent misunderstanding, in that their freelancer never intended to contact jurors. However, they didn’t deny that he may have been following the van Wednesday evening.
According to eyewitness accounts, the MSNBC freelancer was following the van about a block away, at the direction of an MSNBC booking producer, when he inadvertently ran a red light and was instantly pulled over by a police cruiser accompanying the van, providing security.
“He was ticketed for violating a traffic control signal. He’s not here today, from what I’m told, and I have instructed that no one from MSNBC News will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial,” the judge said.
Adding; “This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is but, absolutely it would go without much thinking, that someone who is following the jury bus, that is an extremely serious matter and will be referred to the proper authorities for further action.”
The seriousness of this incident cannot be overstated. It is not simply because the police suspected MSNBC was trying to take their pictures. If the jurors believed that they were being followed, it could add to their unease about voting in the case. https://t.co/bgE8ifnQS3
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) November 18, 2021
However, MSNBC attempted to spin the facts (nothing new), denying any wrongdoing on their part.
“‘We regret the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities on any investigation,” NBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
NBC News also parroted MSNBC, denying they intended to photograph or contact jurors in the high profile case.
An NBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital; “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.”
The freelancer employed by the far left network, was identified by Judge Schroeder as James Morrison, and confirmed that he was “instructed” by his producer to follow the jury van.
MSNBC James Morrison, taken into custody last night for following sealed juror bus to get photographs in the Rittenhouse trial. The Judge kicked MSNBC out of his court and will not permit them back for this case. #MSNBC #JoyReidIsARacist 🤡
— Brandi (@Brandi_Trumper) November 18, 2021
Schroeder acknowledged later in the day that the incident is under further investigation. He reiterated that MSNBC will not be allowed in his courtroom for the duration of the trial.
It’s not clear whether NBC might also be banned from Judge Schroeder’s courtroom or what legal liability Morrison and MSNBC might be charged with. Obviously attempting to contact a juror is a serious offense. However, it’s also worth noting that Judge Schroeder decided not to sequester the jury, which raised quite a few eyebrows within legal circles. That decision, in hindsight, was a mistake.
MSNBC has a long and sordid history of misleading their viewers. They’ve labeled Kyle Rittenhouse a white supremacist while purposely ignoring the facts that he acted in self-defense.