An American independent journalist, Sam Husseini, was removed from a press conference at the US State Department in Washington after he attempted to ask questions about the war and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He was not the only one, as Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal was also escorted out of the press room.
In his speech, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that in the past four years, the US had been conducting successful diplomacy, including the recent ceasefire agreement, despite both Israel and Hamas crediting the designated President Donald Trump with the final success.
In a video published by Stella Assange, several uniformed DSS agents can be seen approaching Husseini from behind, who was an accredited journalist in the press room and had been quietly listening to Blinken’s statements until then.
Husseini reacted by telling the agents to leave his hands alone as they pulled him from his seat. He disagreed with being taken away, saying “they’re hurting me”. He then addressed Blinken, saying “you’re talking about a free press”. He mentioned that he had learned from the State Department’s spokesperson Matt Miller that his questions on the Gaza topic would not be answered.
Blinken explained that the journalists should respect the procedural flow and that he would answer questions after his speech. Husseini, while being pulled away, retorted, “Everyone from Amnesty International to the ICC says Israel is committing genocide and ethnic cleansing, and you’re telling me to respect the process?”.
As the journalist was being forcibly removed, he repeatedly called out to Blinken, saying “You’re a criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?”
After the arrest, the journalist stated that he had only tried to ask a series of questions, was pulled out and handcuffed, and that the whole thing was “completely over the top”.
In a more detailed post, Husseini explained the incident, stating that he had intended to ask hard-hitting questions during the press conference, which the State Department had clearly tried to cut short. He mentioned the intention to ask about the implementation of the ICC’s decision from May 31, the recognition of the Geneva Conventions in the Gaza Strip, and the criticism of Israel’s actions by Amnesty International and the ICC, among others.