Gov. Brown calls CBS reporter ‘thug’
Oct. 30, 2012
Katy Grimes: UPDATE: Since I wrote about Gov. Jerry Brown’s awkward confrontational moment with a Los Angeles reporter last week, I expected to see the story all over the news. When a governor behaves badly in public, it’s usually news. But there has been a virtual news blackout on this story.
The original story was broadcast on a Friday evening, when all bad news about government is released. Government officials figure that the bad news will die over the weekend.
This is just too weird to let fade away. Brown’s aggressive and confrontational style with the reporter is bizarre. It is how a government official behaves when caught by the media who usually give him a pass. Brown is dumbfounded, then angry.
Here is the video. The story is below.
Gov. Jerry Brown reacted very badly last week when confronted by a CBS 2 Los Angeles reporter who discovered state employees using expensive rental trucks while on the clock.
CBS 2 Reporter David Goldstein asked Brown why he would not look at the video the news station had taken of Caltrans employees using dozens of $30,000 rental trucks for personal use.
Brown got close to Goldstein’s face, pointed his finger at him and accused Goldstein of withholding the tape. Then Brown grabbed Goldstein’s phone, and said, “this guy is like a thug.”
The CBS2 Los Angeles investigation found numerous Caltrans employees using rented trucks, paid by taxpayers, for personal use including shopping at Costco, Home Depot and for liquor store runs. And these same employees took the trucks home.
Goldstein confronted Brown and only asked why the governor would not look at the video. Brown turned on Goldstein. “Sir, you’ve concealed a tape,” Brown said. “Why won’t you show it to us?”
Then Brown reached around Goldstein and grabbed his cell phone from his hands.
It was really weird.
On CBS 13 in Sacramento, the story got even stranger. Channel 13 followed up the CBS 2 story with another brief segment showing Brown telling reporters after the confrontation, “I think jumping in your face at the funeral of Mervyn Dymally and only wanting to know about something that’s in his cellphone that he forces me to look at while he puts a camera in my face and a microphone, I don’t think that is the civility and the gentility that I expect from the old CBS network.”
What is going on? Caltrans employees still ripping off taxpayers is bad enough. But with the governor’s office and Caltrans refusing to address the CBS investigation is deplorable. Far too many state agencies refuse to return press phone calls and media inquiries, if it’s about an issue they don’t want to address.
And for Gov. Brown to try to turn the tables on the reporter was either a really bad PR strategy, or just bizarre behavior.
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Can you blame Clown???
His Prop 30 is going down in flames and he is now going to have to do some real governoring- and you KNOW that won’t happen
That video is AWESOME!!!
Clown is just having a full on Teddy Steals meltdown…..!!!!!!
It is also very disturbing to see a $102K CT’s management employee buying, and I assume drinking, hard alcohol on the job.
Teddy, care to comment????
The TIMING of that video is just awesome, could not have been released at a better time.
Brown will be in a tizzy when his prop 30 doesnt go the way he wants , remember folks he’ll cut school funds rather than cut aid to the illegals when he does you get what you deserve for electing the fool.
I keep meaning to DVR David Goldstein’s reports…it’s so unusual when the media does real reporting, even attacking a democrat, that we have to support him!
How many Blatz or Falstaff or Ralph’s Blue Stripes have you quaffed on your employer’s hours….sorta like “cast the first stone”.
Teddy, I don’t know a single person that uses alcohol at work, I never have. But I have seen several TV news reporter exposes on gov feeders who do it, often, and usually with impunity.
In fact the LA DWP had this same thing (Alcohol consumption on duty) exposed a few years back. So did the OC Lifeguard supervisor (not working during regular hours) I think it is very common for troughers, because they simply cannot, or will not, be canned.
It is felony robbery to take anything from anyone by force or threat of force. What Brown did here is very close to felony robbery. The reporter didn’t offer him the phone and Jerry didn’t ask for it. It was taken. Felony robbery. I’m not kidding. I would have done a citizens arrest on Brown if he had done that to me. I have made citizens arrests for both burglary and armed robbery and it has stood up in court. What Jerry did here is beyond belief.
Hondo…….
I would have done a citizens arrest on Brown if he had done that to me.
==
I woiuld have knocked Clown out 😉
(Like I do to teddy 🙂 )
Posting hog at it again.
Hi teddy 😉
Hi teddy 😉
—-
something about that post Rex made me LOL. It also seems that Uhaul is just as guilty as the boozer union crowd given his “no big deal” attitude. Should we be suprised?
Is there any doubt to anyone that this Governor is like most Liberals where as he doesn’t have a problem spending our Taxpayer money. Why can these people not be driving those old orange trucks that are sitting there for Sale? There is NO FISCAL responsibility in this STATE. They just keep asking the PEOPLE to do there FAIR SHARE like some other person I know. And they wondering why I am VOTING NO on Prop 30….
Oh, I don’t know….the man probably just can’t help it. Remember this?
From SFGate 2006…
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Mayor-Jerry-Brown-finds-trouble-outside-nightclub-2539948.php
Can anyone who endured Brown’s earlier years as governor be surprised that he’s failing again? What sort of fools would give this jerk another chance to finish what he and his dad started. I fear my beloved California is done for.
NO BIG DEAL…..Your wore down….the finish is near.
This made me remember our Gov (then Oakland Mayor) back in Oakland in 2006. He allegedly did a similar phone snatching type of thing to a female after interjecting himself into a late night dispute between patrons outside a nightclub. Cops were on the scene also.
Account ran in SF Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Mayor-Jerry-Brown-finds-trouble-outside-nightclub-2539948.php
wow,we would get fired.code of ethics .i guess they dont have them .anything brow wants i ll vote vote for .just a new rip off the same as saying fees are not taxes.all these people should be fired because its on going .they should be made to pay for the whole use of the vech.and refund tax dollars .but we wont hear anything about this till after election.jerry what a joke you should be recalled