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    Fresh Courage TakeSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:51pm

    He’s not a Secret Service agent. He would have never acted alone in such a fracas if he was. This is also borne out by the photographer pushing the guy’s face. Never would have happened if that was the USSS. But the guy at the very end — the big white guy with the bald head — probably was.

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      PoodletimeFresh Courage Take
      2/29/16 1:54pm

      I gotta agree with you about the second guy.

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      Michael M.Fresh Courage Take
      2/29/16 2:04pm

      He is definitely a Secret Service agent. You can clearly see the badge shape, symbol, and letting positioning matching that of a Special Agent carrying badge.

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    Kit Harrington's hair contractSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:33pm

    only a matter of time til someone dies at one of these...

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      puncha yo bunsKit Harrington's hair contract
      2/29/16 1:35pm

      At which point his poll numbers will skyrocket. Because we are in the Twilight Zone and cannot escape.

      Please tell me that photographer has license to sue someone, I’d be furious.

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      benjaminalloverpuncha yo buns
      2/29/16 1:39pm

      As an anthropologist, I find these rallies fascinating. As a thinking human being, they scare the living shit outta me.

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    Hip Brooklyn StereotypeSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:33pm

    If he indeed is in Trump’s detail, he did a bang-up job: representing a reprehensible individual in reprehensible fashion.

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      WinBHip Brooklyn Stereotype
      2/29/16 1:37pm

      If he is in his SS detail then he’s just doing his job and doesn’t necessarily support the candidate. Wait, what year am I in?

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      Billy JackHip Brooklyn Stereotype
      2/29/16 1:40pm

      Isn't being a credentialed reporter at a Trump rally just 'askin for it', like a person with dark skin at a KKK rally!!! wait???

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    BfunkadeliaSam Biddle
    2/29/16 2:02pm

    As a freelance photojournalist in Iowa, I have some experience with the Secret Service and Donald Trump’s private security. The two could not be further from each other on how it treats media. I have never had anything but professional treatment from the Secret Service, but have been shoved by Trump private security.

    The fact that is was done to a legendary photographer and a professional hero of mine, Christopher Morris, makes me lean more to this being private security. Secret Service would know who he is. I could be mistaken, but would be shocked if I was.

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      not_productiveBfunkadelia
      2/29/16 2:14pm

      As someone with some experience here, wouldn’t part of the reaction of the SS be to put someone on stage as well if there were some kind of threat to the candidate? I was watching the rally and although it was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, there was never a SS agent anywhere in the shot.

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      Bfunkadelianot_productive
      2/29/16 2:34pm

      Secret service will not physically engage anyone unless there is a direct threat. Mostly they will say, forcefully, that what someone is doing needs to stop, etc.

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    BIMming ItSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:36pm

    Wow. Considering how much Trump demonizes and antagonized the press at his events, it would be interesting if they just stopped showing up and covering his campaign at all.

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      KomradKickassBIMming It
      2/29/16 1:40pm

      But then they would have to cover politics, which no one cares about.

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      benjaminalloverBIMming It
      2/29/16 1:41pm

      You’re asking people who compete with each other for the best shot of the spectacle to collectively ignore the spectacle. I don’t think the incentive is there.

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    Salty McButterBricksSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:37pm

    That’s definitely a badge. Can’t see any reason for private security to be carrying such a thing, unless he’s just an off-duty cop doing freelance assault.

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      BIMming ItSalty McButterBricks
      2/29/16 1:49pm

      Plenty of private security firms wear badges to appear authoritative. I wouldn’t take this as confirmation of his status as an LEO.

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      moetopSalty McButterBricks
      2/29/16 1:52pm

      There are hundreds of security badges on Amazon. $5 to $50 gets you what you want in a day or 2. A badge means nothing.

      I have my great grandfathers police badges. One of them looks just like the ones used today.

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    Tidal TownSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:38pm

    Can we, like, get some context here? Whatever happened before the video starts is probably pretty important.

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      BIMming ItTidal Town
      2/29/16 1:59pm

      I mean, sure, we know that the security detail choke slammed the guy... but sure, let’s wait to see if there was justification for the thing that is unjustifiable.

      Even if the photographer was being out of line (which there is no evidence to suggest at this point), it still doesn’t make a choke slam a proportional response.

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      Nm2BIMming It
      2/29/16 2:36pm

      I review some training for a large law enforcement agency that will go unnamed to ensure that it complies with the law. This agency does not allow choke slams (or anything in the neck area) unless it is a deadly force incident (where he could have been shot). Some local agencies are far less strict (and going to get sued).

      This did not appear to be a deadly force incident. I would be surprised if the secret service allows such action in non-deadly force situations. If this guy was secret service, he's probably going to enjoy tracking down counterfeiters in eastern Montana for a few years.

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    adamjohnson08Sam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:37pm

    And just look at the religious-esque chanting in his face after he’s been thrown out.

    Sigh.

    Im pretty sad that Donald Trump is still in the running, but I think what Im really, actually sad about is that a lot of people in this country are following him. I thought we were better than that.

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      Netflix and Shilladamjohnson08
      2/29/16 1:41pm

      I thought we were better than that.

      Sorry you had to find out this way. While I’m at it, there’s no Santa Claus.

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      caekislove-caekingitupadamjohnson08
      2/29/16 1:42pm

      Before the rally starts, they tell the crowd to start chanting whenever a protester shows up and continue until the protester is removed.

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    Manolo CatastropheSam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:34pm

    He has a badge, so he’s an official government jackboot, not a private liberty guardian.

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      DashleyinCaliManolo Catastrophe
      2/29/16 1:43pm

      That badge could say anything!

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      adsggfasdfasdfasdDashleyinCali
      2/29/16 1:52pm

      How do I join?

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    OMG!PONIES!Sam Biddle
    2/29/16 1:52pm

    No. Of course Donald Trump isn’t a bigot. That’s why he was palling around with notorious antigay, antisemitic Pastor Robert Jeffress just the other day.

    Hang out with enough bigots and pretty soon, people will just assume that you're a bigot too.

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      DolemiteOMG!PONIES!
      2/29/16 2:04pm

      “Mr. Trump is a great man, a very Godly man, the type of man that Jesus would vote for...” /covers the mic and whispers to Trump, “how much did you say the donation would be? Oh, ok.” “...not just vote for, but Jesus would have campaigned for Mr. Trump himself, and if you do not vote for Mr. Trump, may your soul become only slightly toasty in Hell.”

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      DavidHHOMG!PONIES!
      2/29/16 2:30pm

      Of course Donald Trump isn’t a bigot, he just plays one on TV. Actually he is a Fascist disguised as a Bigot.

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