CNN’s April Ryan to Tell ‘Real Story’ of Alleged Security Guard Assault

april-ryan-screenshot
Screenshot
Hannah Knudsen

CNN political analyst April Ryan announced on Twitter early Saturday morning that she will appear on Brian Stelter’s Reliable Sources Sunday and tell the “real story of what happened” in an incident involving her security guard, who allegedly roughed up a reporter.

“I’ve always made it a point to bring the truth to light in every situation…even my own,” Ryan wrote in a tweet accompanied by a video.

“Not sure what you’ve heard lately, but I’ve decided it’s time for me to share my side of the story, the real story of what happened in NJ. Hear the truth THIS SUNDAY at 11AM EST on @CNN,” she added:

Ryan came under fire after a video emerged last week allegedly showing her bodyguard roughing up a local news editor, Charlie Kratovil of New Brunswick Today, who was covering an event that featured Ryan as the keynote speaker.

The incident occurred at the New Jersey Parent Summit at The Heldrich Hotel on August 3. Kratovil attended the event with media clearance and did not seem to have trouble until Ryan’s security guard, whom Kratovil identified as Joel Morris, approached him. Morris, Kratovil said, asked which organization he was with and allegedly threatened to take his camera down.

“I declined to acquiesce to this threat from a stranger,” Kratovil wrote in a detailed Twitter thread, explaining the incident.

As Breitbart News reported:

“Just as Rep. Payne was praising Ms. Ryan for her recent @rcfp ‘Freedom of the Press’ award, the public relations people started to gather around me at my table, pressuring me to stop recording,” he continued in a Twitter thread, noting that things “started going south,” which prompted him to record the conversation.

He was told that Ryan would not take the stage with his camera up, but she did. However, Ryan’s security guard approached her on stage, whispered something, and proceeded to unplug Kratovil’s camera:

Things escalated in the hotel lobby as Shennell McCloud, executive director of Project Ready, allegedly demanded Kratovil exit the event. Footage, from both Kratovil and a security camera, purportedly shows Morris grabbing Kratovil in an attempt to remove him from the lobby:

Kratovil openly called for Ryan to publicly condemn the incident, but she remained silent.

“Her reputation now depends on finally addressing this situation head-on and proclaiming that what happened that night in New Brunswick cannot be tolerated,” he said:

The New Brunswick Municipal Court issued a summons to Ryan’s bodyguard Monday:

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.