Rittenhouse judge permanently bars MSNBC from courthouse after producer caught tailing jury bus

.

The judge presiding over the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has permanently banned MSNBC from the courthouse after one of its producers was caught allegedly stalking the jury.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder told the court Thursday police stopped a man the previous evening for running a red light. The man, who identified himself as James Morrison, had been closely following a bus carrying jury members, police said. Morrison then reportedly told law enforcement officials he had been instructed by his supervisor in New York to tail the vehicle.

In a statement, NBC News admitted this actually happened.

“Last night,” the network said in a statement, “a freelancer received a traffic citation. While the traffic violation took place near the jury van, the freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them.”

It adds, “We regret the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities on any investigation.”

It’s important to note that when Schroeder informed the court of Morrison’s traffic citation and the allegation that the NBC employee was instructed specifically to tail the bus, the judge never accused the producer of attempting to contact or photograph jurors. In other words, by focusing almost entirely on things Schroeder never said, NBC is attempting to distract from the substance of the allegations leveled by law enforcement officials. NBC glosses over the part where Morrison is said to have tailed jurors. NBC also glosses over the part where Morrison allegedly told police he was ordered by his supervisors to follow the bus. NBC admits to the traffic violation — it can’t weasel out of that one — but it then distracts from what Kenosha police actually said in favor of that which nobody said.

“The jury in this case is being transported from a different location in a bus with the windows covered so that they [aren’t] exposed to any sides, by one side or another, by interests in the case,” Schroeder said in the courtroom Thursday. “So, I’m going to call it a ‘sealed bus.’ And that has been done every day, and then they’re brought here to this building.”

He added, “Last evening, a person who identified himself as James ‘Jim’ Morrison, and who claimed that he was a producer with NBC News, employed for MSNBC, and under the supervision of someone named Irene Byon in New York for MSNBC, the police when they stopped him, because he was following at a distance of about a block and went through a red light, pulled him over and inquired of him what was going on. And he gave that information and stated that he had been instructed by Miss Byon in New York to follow the jury bus. The matter is under further investigation at this point and the media has asked questions about it. That’s the latest I have.”

The judge informed the court of his decision to bar MSNBC from the courthouse as he read the police account of the alleged traffic stop.

“I have instructed that no one from MSNBC will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial,” Schroeder said. “This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is. But absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone who is following the jury bus — that is a very extremely serious matter.”

Schroeder concluded, saying the matter will be referred to the proper authorities for “further action.”

Related Content

Related Content