this week the los angeles county sheriff announced that his department was targeting a journalist in a criminal leak investigation for her reporting on an alleged cover-up within the sheriff s department. l.a. times reporter alene tchekmedyian has written a series of stories about an incident where a deputy kneeled on an inmate s head, including an article on monday about allege allegation that sheriff alex villanueva was implicated in a cover-up and then in a news conference this week, the sheriff said he was investigating all parties involved in the leaked video, which he said was stolen property that was removed illegally and the sheriff later confronted that reporter. reporters like from the l.a. times maybe need to start clarifying exactly what you did with this and who did you get it from and when did you get it. that s the question for you to answer. so with that
investigation, reported on an alleged cover-up on a video incident where the deputy kneeled on the head of a handcuffed inmate for approximately three minutes the public needs that kind of reporting, to hold them accountable, the public should be a rage by the sheriff s department s attempts to silence that reporting. katie townsend s deputy executive director and legal director at the reporters committee for freedom of the press, which is an absolutely invaluable org organization in our democracy, miss townsend, thank you so much for being with us tonight. keep us apprized on the story, it s pretty astonishing, thank you. thank you. we will be right back. will be right back at liberty butchemel cut. liberty biberty cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for whatchya. line? need. action. cut. you can t say that. [phone rings] sorry. is this where they re gonna put the statue of liberty? liberty.
of this creates of him but i wonder if, he is it is getting some unexpected blow back. i did hope and expect that the l. a. times is pushing back with all its got here. is the sheriff may be biting off more than he can chew here in terms of what part of the constitution is messing here, by doing this. rachel, i d like to think that this sort of conduct would receive widespread condemnation, not just from members of the press, which we ve seen, but just from members of the public the reporter that was targeted here at the threat of criminal investigation, reported on an alleged cover-up on a video incident where the deputy kneeled on the head of a handcuffed inmate for approximately three minutes the public needs that kind of reporting, to hold them accountable, the public should be a rage by the sheriff s department s attempts to silence that reporting. katie townsend s deputy executive director and legal director at the reporters committee for freedom of the press, which is an a
my understanding from the sort of political reputation of the sheriff here who is as i mentioned running for re-election is that he may like this sort of lawless image this creates about him and the sort of screw the first amendment screw the press kind of image that this creates of him, creates for him. but i wonder if he is getting some unexpected blow back. i hope and expect the l.a. times is pushing back with all its got here. is the sheriff maybe biting off more than he can chew in terms of what part of the u.s. constitution he s messing with by doing this. rachel, i like to think that this sort of conduct would receive widespread condemnation, not just from members of the press which we have seen but really from members of the public. the reporter targeted with this threat reported on an alleged coverup of a video tape incident which a deputy kneeled on the head of a handcuffed inmate for approximately three minutes. the public needs that kind of