Election Night: Reporter Ejected During Live Speech

Republican congressional candidate Anthony Constantino ordered a television news crew to leave his election-night party in Amsterdam, New York, on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred while Constantino was addressing supporters and criticizing local media outlets. He was leading his Democratic opponent, Blake Gendebien, in the race for the 21st Congressional District at the time.

7 News aired a live segment of Constantino’s speech to lead its 11 p.m. news broadcast. The clip ran for 15 to 16 minutes. In the speech, Constantino thanked President Donald Trump for having his back. He also expressed gratitude to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and political strategist Roger Stone. During the address, Constantino labeled the news media as evil.

The candidate’s language became profane before the station cut its live coverage to report on other regional results. Constantino singled out 7 News reporter Garrett Domblewski. He called Domblewski and 7 News anchor Jeff Cole a**holes. He also referred to a reporter from another organization as a f**king a**hole. Constantino then instructed Domblewski to exit the venue.

The crowd joined Constantino in chanting, Kick him out. Five or six security guards escorted Domblewski out of the building. As the reporter was led outside, Constantino and the attendees chanted, F**k the evil media. Domblewski was unsure what triggered the ejection. He noted that he had conducted a cordial interview with Constantino earlier in the evening, a portion of which aired on the 10 p.m. newscast.

After being escorted outside, Domblewski reported live from the parking lot. Constantino’s campaign had invited 7 News and other media organizations to the event. The location is roughly a three-hour drive from Watertown. The campaign team was aware that the news crew would attend. In an email, the team said it was looking forward to seeing them.

Constantino remained the leader in the 21st District race against Gendebien on Tuesday night. The ejection happened while the candidate was thanking supporters and criticizing the press. The incident unfolded during a live broadcast that the station used to lead its evening news. The crowd’s chants and the candidate’s profanity marked the end of the reporter’s presence inside the venue.