Newsmax, Frontlines journalist Jonathan Choe denied access to WA Democrats weekly media event at state Capitol

Less than a week after the Democrat-controlled Washington State Senate adopted a rule change that restricted credentialed members of the media from accessing “the wings” and adjacent rooms of the Senate unless invited by a lawmaker or staff member, a journalist with credentials was denied access.

On Tuesday, Jonathan Choe, a journalist and senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, Newsmax, and Turning Point USA’s Frontlines, was denied access to Democratic leaders' weekly media availability event, despite having been issued a one-week pass.

According to The Center Square, the Democrats imposed the rule change after the Capitol Correspondents Association (CCA) returned press credentialing to the Washington Senate and House. Before the change, the CCA determined who was allowed to receive press credentials that granted reporters access to areas of the Capitol Building where the general public is not allowed without the escort of a lawmaker or staff.

The Center Square’s Carleen Johnson witnessed as Choe was asked to wait outside the chamber while his credentials were checked. Shortly thereafter, Senate Democrats communications director Aaron Wasser told Choe that he wasn’t allowed inside because he was “not a real reporter.”

Choe showed Wasser his credentials, but Wasser denied him access to the wings. Johnson advocated for Choe, and he protested, “But the press briefings are in the wings.” Wasser replied, “Yeah, I know, and you can’t come in the wings,” to which Choe asked, “What are you afraid of?”

“You’re not a real reporter,” Wasser answered. He eventually walked back inside the wings, leaving Choe stranded outside.

Choe was allowed into Governor Bob Ferguson's office later for a press conference because no one checked his press credentials. Choe was able to ask the governor a question about Washington's homeless crisis and the possibility of more federal funding cuts impacting the state's response.

According to Brandi Kruse, host of the UnDivided podcast, Democrats called Senate security on Choe, and the Washington State Patrol arrived to monitor Choe’s movements.

Kruse previously reported that Jerry Cornfield, a statehouse reporter for the Washington State Standard, was in charge of issuing passes but decided they would only be issued to reporters who were covering Olympia full-time. Other journalists would only be given day passes on a case-by-case basis and would need to request them in advance.

Kruse, Choe, and other new media reporters, including those at The Center Square, were also denied or had their requests go unanswered.

According to Kruse, following legal action in February, The Center Square reporter was given a hard pass, but Choe and Kruse were not. Fearing a lawsuit, Cornfield and the CCA relinquished their control over press passes to the Washington House and the Senate. Shortly thereafter, the Senate voted to change the rules to block access to the wings and limit reporters. During the debate on the rule, State Senator Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond) falsely claimed the new rule "does not change or limit any of the access."