A city commissioner in Alabama hit a reporter—with an open hand, hard enough to draw blood—after the reporter asked him about allegations of voter fraud. Here’s a thing you shouldn’t do, in the event that someone asks you about voter fraud: shout “Get!” and then hit them with an open hand hard enough to draw blood.
WTVY reporter Ken Curtis approached City Commissioner Amos Newsome of Dothan, Alabama to ask if he was planning to resign. Newsome, a Democrat, has been facing calls from fellow city commissioners to resign after three of his campaign workers were convicted of voter fraud. Newsome, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, has not been charged with fraud himself.
Newsome’s response to Curtis’s questions was, some face-shoving, some yelling, and then, finally, some hitting, hard enough that Curtis staggered backwards:
“Do you have plans to resign?” Curtis asks.
“Excuse me,” Newsome responds, shoving the microphone so that it grazes Curtis’ face.
“Sir, you cannot do that,” Curtis responds pleasantly, pursuing Newsome as he walks towards a white van. “How about—would you be willing to resign if it would mean a better deal?” he inquires.
“Let me tell you something,” Newsome replies. “Get!” He sticks his hand out and strikes Curtis’s cheek.
Curtis posted a photo of himself soon after with a long, bloody scratch on his face:
Newsome was arrested on misdemeanor assault charges. Don’t hit people trying to do their jobs.
Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com.
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