Washington, DC – A conservative journalist said she was assaulted by U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D – California) three times in the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday, and she wants to press charges.
Reporter Laura Loomer said she was trying to ask Waters about her controversial call for Democrats to harass Trump administration officials and other political opponents when the congresswoman swatted the cell phone she held in her hand to film the interaction.
Loomer continued to film the entire exchange with the Democratic congresswoman, and posted it on Big League Politics.
“Who are you darling?” Waters asked Loomer, in a condescending tone.
Loomer told the congresswoman that she was an investigative journalist and a Trump supporter, which quickly put an end to the prospective interview, the video showed.
“Come to my office and I’ll be happy to sit down with you. We can’t talk on the run,” Waters responded, as the video showed she gave a shove to the cell phone that was filming her.
At that point, she picked up her pace and walked away, giving Loomer “the hand” in a dismissive gesture, the video showed.
The video showed that Loomer stayed on Waters’ heels as she walked from her office to the elevator, and asked questions about the meaning behind her controversial suggestions.
“You just encouraged your supporters to harass Trump supporters and officials, I just wanted to ask you – where are Trump supporters allowed to go?” Loomer asked.
Waters refused to even listen to the questions, and talked over the reporter, repeating “please come to my office” over and over again as she sped toward the elevator designated for Members of Congress.
As they approached the elevators, Waters appeared to use the papers in her hand to block the camera, the video showed. Then she swatted the reporter with the papers.
“Where can a conservative eat at a restaurant in DC?” Loomer asked, undaunted.
At that point, Waters turned and advanced on the reporter.
“Please come to my office and talk and be civil. Please come to my office and talk with me,” Waters said, her voice rising in frustration.
“You’re talking about civility. Do you think it’s civil to call for the harassment of Trump officials?” Loomer asked.
The elevators doors opened, and as Waters stepped through the doorway, the video showed she turned and firmly swatted the reporter again with the papers in her hand, before her staff members closed ranks around her and informed the reporter it was a “Members’ Only” elevator, over and over again.
Loomer said she went down to the Capitol Police Department right away and filed a police report against Waters for assault.
In a second video she filmed on the front steps of the Capitol police, published by Big League Politics, Loomer described what she told police the congresswoman had done to her.
“When I was confronting the congresswoman, she assaulted me three times,” she said in the video. “The first time she swatted my hand with her hand to attempt to knock my phone out of my hand when I was recording her. And I said please do not hit my hand.”
“Then when I was confronting her and I kept on questioning her, the congresswoman then hit me in the face with her papers two separate times,” Loomer continued.
“And it was all caught on camera! And I came down here to the Capitol police station, I showed the officers and I filed a report,” she explained in the video.
Blue Lives Matter contacted the Capitol police to find out the status of the charges against Waters, but had received no response at publication time.
Watch how Waters reacts to a conservative journalist trying to interview her in the video below:
