Rodgers went up to Menendez while the senator was waiting for the train to get his thoughts on the Green New Deal, a controversial bill that he will be asked to vote on soon, and which some Democrats probably don’t want to go on record about right now.
Menendez was not in the mood, clearly.
“I won’t answer questions to the Daily Caller, period,” Menendez said to Rodgers. “You’re trash.”
Rodgers asked why Menendez thought they were trash.
“Don’t keep harassing me or I’ll call Capitol Police,” Menendez replied. “I said no.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YYezW9ODPk?rel=0?enablejsapi=1]Senator Bob Menendez Threatens To Call Police On Daily Caller Reporter When Asked Questionyoutu.be
Francisco Pelayo, a communications staffer for Menendez, supported his boss’s reaction.
“Nope, there’s nothing to say to these folks,” Pelayo tweeted. “They’re not doing real reporting—they’re here to do ‘gotcha journalism’ for Tucker Carlson.”
Julio Rosas of Mediaite and Townhall pointed out that Pelayo takes quite a different tone toward politicians attacking media when the political parties are reversed.
“#FreePress is not about getting positive stories,” Pelayo wrote in August 2018. “Going after the press is a real political agenda.”