'Assault': Disturbing Tactic Used by Rashida Tlaib Handler on Reporter Raises Big Questions

We talk a lot here about Joe Biden's handlers because they are numerous and a big part of his daily routine, whether it's trying to explain away things he said that make no sense, directing him where he needs to go when he seems lost and out of sorts, or shielding him from media scrutiny by sometimes using aggressive tactics that border on assault.

But he is, of course, not the only DC politico who has handlers. Pretty much every member of Congress does, with the biggest difference being how much and what they use them for, and for what purpose.

Squad member Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is one of them. Tlaib hasn't done much in the way of interviews in recent months, perhaps because she's realized that there is no way she can explain her position on the Israel-Hamas war on camera (or off, for that matter) that doesn't make her sound like an absolute monster.

Taking questions on her stance is also something Tlaib is not too keen on doing, as we saw Thursday when a Fox News crew tried to interview her about a potential Congressional visit by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu - only to have the cameraman blocked by a Tlaib handler by way of following him around with an opened umbrella:

The unidentified aide is seen in video of the encounter repeatedly opening and closing his umbrella. The action interferes with the camera shot and at one point the umbrella seemingly makes contact with the operator, who witnesses say was hit in the face and upper body.
[...]
"He hit me with an umbrella," the cameraman is heard saying in the video.
"I did not hit you with an umbrella," the staffer responds.
"We have it on video, guys. He hit him with an umbrella," Pergram tells Tlaib and the aide. "That's assault."

Watch what happens in this clip, especially toward the end as the handler is accused by reporter Chad Pergram of assaulting his cameraman:

JUST IN: Staffer for Rep. Rashida Tlaib attempts to block Fox News cameraman with an umbrella as @ChadPergram asks questions pic.twitter.com/8YNoKoPMLz
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) May 23, 2024

Here was the report they filed on it later:

WATCH: Fox’s @BretBaier: “Well sometimes it can get dangerous in the business of covering politics. Today, our Fox Capitol Hill crew had to fight off an umbrella being used by a Congressional staffer to obstruct an attempted interview. Quite something you don’t see every day…” pic.twitter.com/6HmkE4CQpH
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) May 23, 2024

This is disturbing for a number of reasons, first and foremost the fact that it is not okay for handlers to become physically abusive toward members of the media, whether it's by putting their hands on them or using objects to disrupt the questioning.

Another reason, and one which raises the biggest question, is that the use of umbrellas to shield someone from visibility is a tried and true Antifa tactic, one we saw very recently during a very memorable "frat dude" video:

Frat boys confronting Antifa goons at the University of Washington in Seattle, challenging them to a push-up contest. These men are going to save America. @TPUSA @FrontlinesTPUSA @charliekirk11 pic.twitter.com/bGgsTcuycd
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) May 7, 2024

You'll also notice that not once does Tlaib call off the handler or otherwise tell him he shouldn't be doing that, perhaps because Tlaib is already on record yelling at Fox News crews, calling them racists, and admitting that she will not talk to them on that basis.

Is this going to be a standard for Democrat members of Congress now, using Antifa's umbrella tactic to block news crews from being able to do their jobs in holding them accountable? If so, how many other reporters and cameramen are going to find themselves on the receiving end of a sharp jab from an umbrella?

Will the White House Correspondents' Association speak out against this? Will the Biden administration condemn the treatment the Fox crew received Thursday? Will the Capitol Police launch an investigation? I think we all know the answer to those questions - and why.