"I'M GOING TO PUT YOUR ASS IN JAIL"

Reporter Scott McFarlane of Channel 2 Action News tried to speak with Cynthia McKinney this morning outside the Capitol as she entered the building to make her so-called "apology."

Usually when a politician prefers not to give a comment to a reporter, the official says something like, "No comment."

In this case, a different tactic was employed.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

But even as McKinney appeared to be trying to put the issue to rest, a bodyguard she hired – reportedly a former Georgia state trooper – was raising another furor when he threatened a television reporter trying to interview McKinney outside the Capitol just minutes before she appeared on the House floor.

When the reporter from Cox Broadcasting tried to ask McKinney about the grand jury, the bodyguard told him, "I'm going to put your ass in jail. I'm a police officer," a videotape of the incident shows.

Asked if he worked for Capitol police, the man said, "I work for Miss McKinney."

Word that McKinney had hired a bodyguard roiled the ranks of the Capitol police who were worried that the guard was carrying a weapon. They said they are concerned about what the bodyguard might do if Capitol police challenged McKinney at a security checkpoint.

McKinney's office did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.

McKinney obviously feels that the Capitol Police she thinks deserve "gratitude and appreciation" are incapable of protecting her.

A private bodyguard that threatens members of the press by saying, "I'm going to put your ass in jail" is not helping McKinney, or the Democrats who are desperate to direct the public's attention away from McKinney-gate.
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Watch video of the incident on wsbtv.com