POLICE INVESTIGATE MEMPHIS CONGRESSMAN STEVE COHEN CLASH WITH JOURNALIST
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.08.2008 14:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Capitol Hill Police and local Memphis law enforcement
have launched separate investigations of Congressman Steve Cohen’s
forced removal of Armenian American journalist Peter Musurlian from an
August 6th press conference, reported Armenian National Committee of
America – Western Region (ANCA – Western Region) told PanARMENIAN.Net.
Musurlian reportedly spoke with officers from the Memphis Police
Department as well as Capitol Hill police, describing Rep. Cohen’s
angry tirade and physical attack on the reporter. Memphis television
and radio stations provided extensive coverage of the altercation,
along with Rep. Cohen’s subsequent ethnic slurs directed at Armenian
Americans.
"Rep. Cohen’s violent and bizarre actions against Musurlian are,
taken in the most charitable light possible, conduct ill-befitting
a Member of Congress," stated ANCA Western Region Board Chairman
Vicken Sonentz-Papazian. "We know of at least two ongoing criminal
investigations and I suspect the House of Representatives will be
instituting disciplinary proceedings against Rep. Cohen for both his
criminal assault and defamatory remarks toward the Armenian American
community once Congress returns. Equally disturbing is Rep. Cohen’s
characterization of both Musurlian, a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces,
and Armenian Americans as killers and assassins. This incident raises
serious question as to whether this man is fit to remain a Member of
Congress," concluded Sonentz-Papazian.
Following a series of unanswered interview requests filed earlier
this week, Musurlian attended several Cohen public events on Tuesday
evening, documenting his campaign activities and looking for an
opportunity to speak with the Congressman. Musurlian’s efforts to
participate in a Wednesday press conference, hastily called by Cohen
at his own residence, were cut short when a volatile and clearly
agitated Cohen forcibly shoved Musurlian out the door, slamming it
in frustration. He then instructed his aides to throw Musurlian’s
tripod at the journalist.
Throughout the process, Cohen made disparaging references to
Musurlian’s ethnicity, referring to him repeatedly as "that Armenian
guy" and Armenian-Americans as "those Armenians," going so far as
to generalize Armenians as assassins and killers. "There have been
Armenians who assassinated and killed many people including people in
this country," stated Rep. Cohen, "and I don’t rest very comfortable
with one of these fellows coming into my home."
Musurlian, who served as a journalist for the U.S. Armed Forces
covering the conflicts in Bosnia and Croatia, traveled to Memphis to
document the days leading up to the August 7th Democratic primary
between first-term incumbent Steve Cohen and challenger, former
civil rights lawyer, Nikki Tinker, for LA based Horizon Armenian
Television. Musurlian works for a public access TV station in Burbank,
California, in addition to running his own production company,
Globalist Films.