Journalist Arrested For Asking Trump’s Secretary ‘This Question’

Dan Heyman, a veteran reporter for the Public News Service was on Tuesday arrested in Charleston, West Virginia, United States.

Heyman was working on a story about whether domestic violence would be considered a pre-existing condition under the GOP health care bill, so he went on Tuesday to the West Virginia state capitol where President Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services, Tom Price, was visiting to learn more about the opioid crisis.

Heyman said that he approached Price in the hallways of the capitol and repeatedly asked him if domestic violence is a pre-existing condition. Price refused to answer questions, but Heyman persisted anyway. Moments later Heyman was handcuffed and arrested for “willful disruption of state government processes.”

After the incident Tim DiPiero, Heyman’s attorney, told reporters, “He had no intention of doing anything but asking a tough question.”

Heyman said that he has been covering health care since before the Affordable Care Act passed. “So this is well-trodden ground for me,” he said.

Capitol police said that Heyman was being too loud and aggressive, which ultimately led to his arrest.