Joe Miller's Guards Handcuffed Me, Editor Claims

The editor of an online Alaska news site said he was handcuffed and detained by private security guards working for Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller at a town hall meeting Sunday night.

Tony Hopfinger, editor of the online Alaska Dispatch, told KTUU-TV that security pushed him as he tried to question Miller. He said he pushed back and that guards then detained him, accusing him of trespassing at the public event in Anchorage.

The Dispatch is among the media outlets suing for access to Miller's personnel record from his time as a government attorney.

Special Report: Campaign 2010

Miller security guard William Fulton said Hopfinger was escorted away from the meeting after ignoring requests to stop putting a camera in the candidate's face.

No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.

In a statement later, Miller said Hopfinger took "advantage of a Town Hall meeting to create a publicity stunt just two weeks before the election."

The statement said security officials had to take action to detain "the irrational blogger."

In a report of the confrontation on his website, Hopfinger said he was attempting to pose questions to Miller about his tenure as an attorney for the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

The issue has become a campaign sore point and Miller said last week that he will no longer answer reporters' questions about his background and personal life.

Hopfinger told The Anchorage Daily News that after Miller walked away, he was surrounded by Miller supporters and security guards and felt threatened, so he pushed one of them away.

Tea Party-backed Miller is seeking Sen. Lisa Murkowski's seat in next month's vote after upsetting her in the August primary. He was thrust into the national political debate with an endorsement last June by Sarah Palin.

[totalcrap]

I smell a HUGE lawsuit, and perhaps criminal charges, against Joe Miller's Rent-a-Cops. If you read the Alaska Statutes on Grounds for Arrest by Private Persons or Peace Officers, Without Warrant (link below) you'll see nothing in there about asking a candidate for public office uncomfortable questions at a PUBLIC event. The bogus trespassing 'charge' offered by the Mall Cops will likely not shield them from liability, again, since it was a public event and the 'offender' was a member of the press. Someone's going to pay out the whazoo!!

http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title12/Chapter25/Section030.htm

[jfb100]

Check the the "Drop Zone" the so-called "professional security" company which has every appearance of a low-rent front for a bunch of guys with guns. (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/joe-miller-security-firm-that-detained-journo-doubles-as-army-surplus-store.php) It appears that they also illegally stole the video camera and erased the segment with the so-called "arrest". If these guys were taking legal actions, then why did they erase the evidence? These guys have every appearance of being nothing better than hired thugs. A vote for Miller is a vote for thugs?

[jfb100]

"Stick a fork in him" Miller is done. Clearly this is Joe Miller's "Macaca" (a cruel racial slur by a Republican Senator that brought him down). There is only a *very* small segment of the population will tolerate illegal detention and imprisonment of a US Citizen using fake police. If Miller gets out of this without going to jail, he will have paid off the "right" judges.

[ibwilliamsi]

This story would be more accurate if you clarified what exactly Joe Miller's "Security Team" is.

[jfb100]

I'm thinking "Guns & Ammo" nuts that are too extreme for the US Army or even Blackwater?

[stevex47]

The reporter was asking very hard, difficult questions !

Like, "What magazines do you read".

The NERVE of those lame stream media.

[propitiation]

Let's put it this way:
Marxism takes the money from the wealthy and then redistributes it to the poor and needy.
Socialism raises taxes for government services for the poor and needy.
The Democrats in Congress, the President, and Rahm Emmanuel is a big part of this mess, decided to spend on government services without having the money, and counting on getting the money by raising the taxes from the Wealthy.
That is an irresponsible way to Govern. Now, we are forced to reduce savings and slowly raise taxes to pay off the Federal Deficit that has increased from 100 Billion under President Bush to 1,500 Billion under President Obama.

[rightbehind]

That last line is pure spew. The shrub by himself spent 5.2 trillion of this nations 13 trillion dollar debt. Republican presidents are responsible for 8.2 of this nations 13 trillion dollar debt. The democrats would have a long way to go to catch republicans at spending.

[ibwilliamsi]

"Decided to spend on government services without having the money..." You must be thinking of the Bush/Cheney wars that depleted the coffers.

[propitiation]

Excuse me National Spending vs. GDP
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/us_20th_century_chart.html

[propitiation]

Why one should vote for Candidate who want to stop spending:
Majority Leader Democrat Senator Reid January 4, 2007
Speaker of the House Democrat Pelosi January 4, 2007
President Obama January 2009
National Debt 2006 8 Trillion
National Debt 2007 9 Trillion
National Debt 2008 10 Trillion
National Debt 2009 12 Trillion
National Debt 2010 13.6 Trillion
That is a 3.6 Trillion Dollar increase in the National Debt since President Obama has been in Office, a 36% raise www.federalbudget.com
Budget Deficit 2007 100 Billion
Budget Deficit 2008 400 Billion
Budget Deficit 2009 1,300 Billion
Budget Deficit 2010 1,500 Billion
An astronomical increase! http://blog.heritage.org/2010/20/05/past-deficits-vs-obamas-deficits-in-pictures/
U.S. Government Spending as Percentage of GDP
2007 - 34.98%
2008 - 36.94%
2009 - 42.32%
2010 - 43.85%
For a perspective during the Clinton Administration in 1996 it was 34.69%. Both the Clinton Administration and Bush Administration kept it a that level!
The only time Spending vs. GDP has been higher was WW II.

[ibwilliamsi]

Too many numbers run together for your post to make sense.

[stephand]

How about reporting on Obama stating that people aren't voting for Democrats because the are scared and when you are scared you are doing stupid things... No! CBS will pick on the tea partier in Alaska rather than the incompetence controlling the country!

[pragmatist1]

...where are the photos to the lead-up altercation...where are the witnesses...convenient when you can't back-up the accusation...this is more newsy than just covering the speech...and sour grapes...