The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has interviewed more than 30 individuals about an altercation that occurred at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Radford, Va., last month.
During the rally, which took place at Radford University on Feb. 29, Time magazine photographer Chris Morris was thrown to the ground by an unidentified Secret Service agent while attempting to photograph a group of protesters.
Several reporters present caught the exchange on camera, though it is unclear whether Morris provoked the agent by exiting a secure area where members of the press are kept during Trump’s campaign events. It is also unclear what was said between Morris and the agent before the dispute turned physical.
On Thursday, agents charged with investigating the incident said they had returned to Radford to speak with students who attended the rally, and had already interviewed dozens of journalists who were confined to the same press pen as Morris at the time the incident occurred.
“I hand out my business cards to everyone. I literally run out of business cards,” one agent told the Washington Examiner, noting that the OIG is gathering as much unedited video footage of the incident as possible.
At this time, the investigation appears to be relying mostly on video captured by rally attendees and on eyewitness accounts. A spokesperson previously told Politico the IG’s office hopes for a “short turnaround” on the completion of the investigation into the USSS agent’s use of force.
“It’s just one of those things — as soon as we’re done, we’re done,” one agent said.
DHS spokesman Kevin Dye declined to comment on whether the Secret Service agent involved in the incident had been suspended while the IG’s office conducts its inquiry.
“Right now, we don’t talk about that,” Dye told the Examiner. “It’s still under investigation.”
Disclosure: The author of this post was among those interviewed by the IG’s office as part of the ongoing investigation.
