Interior Secretary threatens to "punch out" Colorado Springs reporter

[alp227]

Colorado Springs, Colo. (November 12, 2012) – On Election Day, at an enthusiastic gathering of Obama supporters in Fountain, Colorado; Dave Philipps, a reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette, had just finished an interview with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar about his controversial policies for managing America’s wild horse populations. Just after Secretary Salazar answered final questions about the future safety of wild horses and he turned to leave the interview, he unexpectedly approached Phillips and told him, “If you set me up like this again, I’ll punch you out.” Standing nearby was Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation, a Colorado-based wild horse advocacy organization. “I was stunned by the Secretary’s rude and clearly hostile comment toward Dave,” said Kathrens.

Kathrens, who had had been granted permission by an Interior law enforcement official to take pictures at the rally added, “ Salazar walked past me, refused to shake my hand, and told me, ‘You know, you should never do that.” It was unclear to Kathrens what he meant. “These threats would have been inappropriate coming from anyone, but the fact that it came out of the mouth of the Secretary of the Interior is alarming,” stated Kathrens. “I can’t believe that a top official in Obama’s cabinet could be so defensive.”

Philipps’ interview with Salazar was a follow-up to a story he had written in September about the sale of wild horses to Tom Davis, a Colorado killer buyer who purchased over 1,700 wild horses from government holding facilities. The horses ended up in south Texas and it is believed they were trucked over the border to Mexican slaughterhouses. Secretary Salazar acknowledged that an investigation of Davis’ activities is currently underway.

full: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/news-events-and-media/press-releases/287-interior-secretary-threatens-to-punch-out-colorado-springs-reporter

"The Cloud Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and protection of wild horses and burros on our Western public lands with a focus on protecting Cloud's herd in the Pryor Mountains of Montana."

[Anthony McCarthy]

1. I wish Salazar would get dumped

he was one of the really bad appointments Obama made.

[MineralMan]

2. Serious lapse of control on his part.

Nobody in a Cabinet position should ever be heard to say anything like that to anyone in the media. This could lead to him losing his job, and maybe it should.

[JimDandy]

8. He's out in March.

And this is one Coloradan that's glad.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/16/politics/salazar-resigning

Sorry this kicks an old thread, but the horsemeat scandal in Europe and the one here that happened under Salazar's watch are heating up. Wonder if this mess caught up with him.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

3. Salazar -- another one of O's big misses.

Fox in the hen house.

[Poll_Blind]

4. No public official should be allowed to make threats like that. Period. nt

PB

[librechik]

5. Salazar, another nitwit.

not even sure I can say well-meaning. Not proud of this pol from my state AT ALL!

He's a weak public servant, IMO

[Panasonic]

6. i still have no t forgiven Salazar for stealing tge senate seat from Mike miles.

Salazar is a douchebag

[benld74]

7. All Hat and No Cattle