We will highlight the salient points of this report by the Associated Press via Seattlepi.com:
- U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s office said he regrets threatening to hit a Colorado reporter who asked about problems in the government’s wild horse program.
- In audio posted by The Gazette newspaper of Colorado Springs, reporter Dave Philipps is heard asking for an on-camera interview with Salazar, a Colorado native who previously served as a U.S. senator from the state.
- After a few general questions, Philipps asked Salazar what he knew about Tom Davis, a Colorado horse slaughter proponent who has purchased hundreds of wild horses gathered from public lands by the Bureau of Land Management and about the agency’s wild horse management program, which Salazar’s office oversees.
- Salazar answered briefly but after the interview accused Philipps of setting him up, then posed the threat. “If you do that to me again, I’ll punch you out,” said Salazar.
- The Gazette (http://tinyurl.com/c7wduc3) reports it held the audio in hopes of getting an interview with Salazar. But a Colorado Springs-based wild horse advocacy group, The Cloud Foundation, publicized the exchange on Monday.
In the meantime, Ginger Kathrens was set to appear with Sean Hannity on Fox News to discuss the incident and issues surrounding it, but Fox cancelled.
RELATED READING
— Salazar threatens to “punch out” reporter (includes Action Alert)
— Ginger Kathrens on Hannity segment at Fox re Salazar and BLM
Tuesday's Horse 
Is anyone really surprised? This guy has ‘[edited]’ written all over his smarmy face.
LikeLike
Everybody seems to be yanking each other’s chains. We will just have to wait and see.
LikeLike
I was waiting to see the Hannity show and I was sent a news flash from Horseback Mag about Ginger being cancelled. But now that its being put back on we all need to watch for it. I’m a independent voter and I have no use for either party. I think they all have offshore accounts that they were beating up on Romney for having. Harry Reid was considered poor as far as congressmen went when he first went to Washington and now he is a millionaire numerous times over as are all of the old politicians that been there for decades. There needs to be term limits on these crooks just like there is the presidents office. But that will never happen because they all watch each others backs.
LikeLike
Hannity made room for the Texas secessionists headed by Daniel Miller, but canceled Ginger. So why is that important considering the even Rick Perry is not taking secession seriously this time. It’s still good that I won’t need my passport to see friends in Texas. Will want to know when to watch Ginger now that she is rescheduled.
LikeLike
fox resceduled the interview..
LikeLike
Brilliant. Thanks Sandra. Where did you see that?
LikeLike
It’s not just TV. It’s the internet as well. If Fox backed out, how can this be just about Fox when other networks don’t want to carry it at all? Speculating that conservatives are hate mongers and that that somehow means they like Salazar is pretty mindless if you ask me. If 80% are against horse slaughter, then it’s obvious that there must be a lot of hate mongering conservatives included in that figure. The country is divided. Instead of arguing the pros and cons of an issue, individuals choose instead to use hateful rhetoric against anyone who doesn’t agree with them. How does that help a cause? You agree with Linda, but reading Linda’s post only tells me that Linda thinks anyone who watches Fox must be a hate mongering Conservative. How is that helpful in enlightening readers about the real issue? Talk about opinions and not facts! If the story was titled “Fox News Backs Out of Invitation……..Please give us your opinion” that would be different, but that’s not what the title says, so the comments to me are uncalled for and insulting.
LikeLike
I agree Linda. Seems pretty obvious doesn’t it?
LikeLike
This isn’t about Fox News. Sean Hannity has invited Ginger Kathrens to discuss the issue. There are many conservatives who are pro environment and pro animal and hateful comments like calling them hate-mongers makes me wonder who really is the party of hate-mongers. Who has ignored the 25000 letters presented to the White House protesting the BLM round ups? Who has opened the door to horse slaughter once again in this country? It’s the current administration, that’s who. The remarks on here make it very clear why our country is so divided. You can’t even focus on the real problem of an appointment of someone like Ken Salazar who is so inappropriate for the office of Secretary of the Interior, has acted like a thug and disgraced that office and is apparently unwilling to find out what has happened to thousands of wild horses. Instead, you focus on Fox News and make comments about conservative hate mongers. It’s pathetic.
LikeLike
How is it not about Fox News? They invited her; then backed out. For me, this is about the media and the Hill, and shows these stations dance to the tune of whomever is in “power”. It is all staged; the hate-mongering, etc so people sitting on their sofas looking at this nonsense believe exactly that, that the country is so divided. People need to think for themselves and quit believing what is manufactured for them by tee vee. 80% against horse slaughter. Little to no division there. Yet it gives no coverage at all to the continued failure of DC — no matter who is calling the shots — to get rid of it! Seems CNN is about the only network to give any of these issues air time.
LikeLike
Exactly right. Charlie Rose in his morning program asked the question why ranchers couldn’t get along with wild horses. Everyone on the panel hemmed and hawed. A terrific song writer, Carol King, doesn’t know what the problem is with the wild horses of beautiful Challis, Idaho. No one dares say it on air because no one wants to get sued, and it’s not because we have differing political views. Ranching and Big Ag are very powerful.
In addition, regarding the Battle Mtn, Nevada District EA for drought management, I received a two page, single spaced reply that ended with the state director denying that BLM is removing excess wild horses and burros to make more forage available for domestic livestock. Instead she said, BLM is balancing the number of wild equines with other users so current and future generations can see them in their natural habitat on public lands. From what I’ve seen, wild equines are on the losing side.
LikeLike
It figures that Fox, the station of conservative hate-mongers, would cancel. The only one they could make look bad is Salazar. and his stance is SO Republican and SO James Watts and SOOOO unscientific that I have a feeling they like him.
LikeLike
Sure Slaughterczar is regretful. Fox News really does not do real journalism.
LikeLike
You are right on both counts. But Fox has a lot of viewers anyway.
LikeLike