Reporter Arrested on Orders of Giuliani Press Secretary

Reporter
Arrested on Orders of Giuliani Press Secretary

Charged with Criminal Trespass Despite Protest
of CNN Staff and Official Event Press Credentials at GOP Debate in New
Hampshire

Aaron Dykes & Alex Jones

Jones Report

Wednesday June 6, 2007 

Manchester, NH - Freelance reporter Matt Lepacek, reporting for Infowars.com,
was arrested for asking a question to one of Giuliani's staff members
in a press conference. The press secretary identified the New York based
reporter as having previously asked Giuliani about his prior knowledge
of WTC building collapses and ordered New Hampshire state police to arrest
him.

Jason Bermas, reporting for Infowars and America: Freedom to Fascism,
confirmed Lepacek had official CNN press credentials for the Republican
debate. However, his camera was seized by staff members who shut off the
camera, according to Luke Rudkowski, also a freelance Infowars reporter
on the scene. He said police physically assaulted both reporters after
Rudkowski objected that they were official members of the press and that
nothing illegal had taken place. Police reportedly damaged the Infowars-owned
camera in the process.

 

Reporters were questioning Giuliani staff members on a variety of issues,
including his apparent ignorance of the 9/11 Commission Report, according
to Bermas. The staff members accused the reporters of Ron Paul partisanship,
which press denied. It was at this point that Lepacek, who was streaming
a live report, asked a staff member about Giuliani's statement to Peter
Jennings that he was told beforehand that the WTC buildings would collapse.

Giuliani's press secretary then called over New Hampshire state police,
fingering Lepacek.

Though CNN staff members tried to persuade police not to
arrest the accredited reporter-- in violation of the First Amendment,
Lepacek was taken to jail. The police station told JonesReport.com
that Lepacek is being charged with felony criminal trespass.

Lepacek did receive one phone call in jail which he used
to contact reporter Luke Rudkowski. According to Rudkowski, Lepacek was
scared because he had been told he may be transferred to a secret detention
facility because state police were also considering charges of espionage
against him-- due to a webcam Lepacek was using to broadcast live at the
event. State police considered it to be a hidden camera, which led to
discussion of "espionage."

Wearing a webcam at a press event is not an act of espionage.
Alex Jones, who was watching the live feed, witnessed Lepacek announce
that he was wearing a camera connected to a laptop that was transmitting
the press conference live at approximately 9:20 EST. When Lepacek announced
that he was broadcasting live, Giuliani staff members responded by getting
upset at his questions and ordering his arrest.

Freedom to Fascism reporter Samuel Ettaro was also dragged
out after asking a question on Giuliani's
ties with Cintra and Macquerie, two foreign contractors involved with
the contentious Trans-Texas Corridor under development in
Texas.

The entire incident took place in a large press auditorium,
apart from the debate stages where authorized media were able to question
candidates and their handlers.

Since when do campaign operatives have the power to order
state police to arrest someone on false charges or arbitrate who has the
right to conduct journalism, a right guarded by the Constitution?

A warning to the press-- if candidates or police don't like
your questions, you could be arrested for trespassing and even espionage
in the new Orwellian America.

The state police in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where the
arrest was made, confirmed that Lepacek is in custody on charges of criminal
trespass. Police said information on who filed the trespass complaint
was not yet available and would be filed in the police report.

It is clear from talking to multiple eyewitness, as well
as the live webcam, that there could not have been a complainant who originated
police action, because it happened spontaneously. The police need to be
very careful about violating the Bill of Rights and falsely charging someone
with a felony crime. This constitutes extreme official oppression and
is a total violation of the reporter's civil rights. It would have been
bad enough if the reporter would have just been thrown out, but to arrest
him when he had a valid press pass and CNN protested his arrest is an
outrage.

The arrest-- which clearly violated the First Amendment--
was recorded from two separate camera angles, including a live feed recorded
remotely-- so the episode is on record in the event that police destroy
or lose tapes seized from Lepacek in attempt to obfuscate the facts of
the incident.

If you doubt that police would assault reporters, seize
video equipment and act on political orders, then consider the experience
Alex Jones had when Texas state troopers arrested him for asking George
W. Bush a question during a press conference while he was governor. See
video below.

Reporters Matt Lepacek and Luke Rudkowski, both members
of WeAreChange.org,
as well as freelance reporters for Infowars.com, have also been previously
accused-- falsely-- of being terrorists
with bombs  and have undergone multiple episodes of
harassment during peaceful
demonstrations and attempts
at exercising the right of free press.

UPDATE: Comments on both the PrisonPlanet.tv
message board and Digg!
report that indeed live audio continued to feed from inside the police
vehicle after video was shut off by police. The live feed captured the
incident and arrest, but previous reports could not confirm that the live
report continued after police confiscated the camera.

From DIGG!:
lemut: I was listening to their live stream when the arrest happened.
The camera feed was lost but audio was still going for several minutes
on the way to the police station. This is NOT America.

From PrisonPlanet.tv:
Brian Roberts: One of the Wearechange.org guys just got arrested!!!!!!!!!
Oh my god! You can hear you audio from the police car!!!

Luke Rudkowski and Jason Bermas contributed to this
report.

-------------------------------------------------

NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE POLICE TELEPHONE NUMBERS


Director’s Office: (603) 271-2450

Field Operations Bureau: (603) 271-3793

For other inquiries: (603) 271-2575

*** EVERYONE CALL THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE TO FIND OUT WHAT CHARGES MATT
LEPACEK IS BEING HELD ON.