The Richmond County Republican Party sent a notice announcing the opening of the Trump campaign office in Columbia County, and former Columbia County Commissioner and Trump supporter Dewey Galeas followed up with a social media invite.
The release stated that U.S. Congressman Rick Allen was to speak, along with other local elected leaders, at the event.
However, when The Augusta Press reporter Skyler Andrews arrived at the event, he was told to leave because the press was not allowed.
Later, it was learned that Galeas was told to pull down his Facebook invitation post.
We are told the decision to physically remove reporters from the event was not a decision of either the Columbia or the Richmond County Republicans but rather the Trump campaign and the RNC.
Despicable.
TAP is not a sycophant to any political party, nor are we a biased newspaper. Biased media do not win general excellence awards from the Georgia Press Association.
Generally speaking, a private group holding a private event gets to decide who may attend; however, when a U.S. congressman is the keynote speaker, the game changes, and the event becomes subject to the provisions of the First Amendment.
Local political leaders were stunned to discover that the event was closed to the press. Columbia County District Attorney Bobby Christine stated: “This is antithetical to what a political campaign is supposed to be doing. If I would have known the press was not invited, I would not have gone.”
Bravo, Mr. Christine.
The Augusta Press, on behalf of the CSRA public, demands transparency from politicians and political organizations. We cover both without fear or favor, and we have successfully gone to court in the past to defend the freedom of the press provisions in the Constitution to be followed. It is the law.
Perhaps, in the future, our local leaders need to ask event organizers if the press will be allowed before agreeing to participate in such events, lest they unfairly get a black eye in the process. Certainly the Trump campaign misjudged the situation, and so did local Republicans who agreed to the stipulation.
