CNN political analyst April Ryan broke her silence on Sunday about the incident earlier this month when her bodyguard forcibly removed a local journalist from an event she was speaking at.

Ryan said she did not order her security guard, Joel Morris — who has since been fired — to kick New Brunswick Today editor Charlie Kratovil out of the August 3 New Jersey Parent Summit at The Heldrich Hotel.

'I did not order anyone to do anything,' she told Brian Stelter in an interview on the CNN's 'Reliable Sources' program.

'At that moment, what you saw was my then-bodyguard, who was concerned with my safety, come to me and say, "Stop talking,"' Ryan claimed.

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CNN political analyst April Ryan broke her silence on Sunday's 'Reliable Sources' program about the August 3 incident when her bodyguard allegedly assaulted a local journalist

Charlie Kratovil claims Ryan's then-bodyguard Joel Morris assaulted him and stole his video camera when he violently removed him from the event where she was speaking in New Jersey

'They [Morris and Kratovil] were about 100 feet away from me, I didn't know what was going on or what was being said.'

Morris was charged with harassment, assault and theft last Monday after he was caught on surveillance cameras taking Kratovil's camera before grabbing the New Jersey journalist and forcing him from the venue.

Kratovil last Monday urged Ryan to denounce her bodyguard's actions outright and said it was more than just an assault on him.

'This was an assault on freedom of the press and April Ryan should have immediately condemned the use of violence against a journalist,' he said.

In Sunday's interview, Ryan explained her weeks-long silence on the matter.

'Anyone who knows me knows that I'm the first person who wants to get a story out — be it on TV or radio — and the only reason why I've been quiet is because of the threat of lawsuits,' the veteran journalist said.

'But here's the thing: This is not about suppressing the press. My body of work stands for me,' she added.

Ryan also said her reason for banning photography and video-recording was that it was a 'private event for a non-profit organization in New Brunswick'.

Ryan said she did not ask her bodyguard - who has since been fired - to kick out Kratovil. She is pictured above at the event where the incident occurred

The incident, which was caught on surveillance cameras, showed Morris initially taking Kratovil's camera before he grabbed the local journalist and forced him from the venue

'Our contract stated that if someone wanted to come and film... they had to ask for permission,' she said.

'There was no request for permission and permission was not granted. Now, if they would have asked for permission, it would have been granted and the reason why I do this... it's standard in the industry... [and] I don't want my words twisted.'

Ryan added: 'That kind of thing can charge that atmosphere to create hate against me and death threats.'

Kratovil has insisted that he received permission and that he was invited by a public relations firm to attend the New Jersey Parent Summit where Ryan was a keynote speaker earlier this month.

He said he had been recording other speakers for about two hours without any issues when his run-in with Ryan's bodyguard occurred.

Asked if she regretted the hostile actions of her former bodyguard, Ryan said 'yes', but continued: 'I believe in my humble opinion, or I assume, he was concerned about my safety'.

The longtime White House correspondent said the death threats she has received may have affected Morris' behavior.

'I do receive death threats. I continue to receive death threats,' she said.

Morris (right) initially tried to take Kratovil's camera before he grabbed the local journalist (center) and forced him from the venue

Kratovil tweeted out a photo of himself last Monday holding the criminal summons for Morris detailing the charges against him

'The atmosphere around me is charged, and that’s one of the reasons why I assume [my bodyguard] may have overreacted because he was concerned for my safety.'

Ryan revealed earlier this year she had hired a bodyguard after receiving threats.

She told Stelter on Sunday: 'As long as this atmosphere continues... I’m going to have to have a bodyguard. But, the protocol is that the bodyguard is supposed to be with me, and that was not protocol... we're reassessing a lot of things.'

Ryan, who is a CNN contributor and works for the American Urban Radio Networks, has repeatedly slammed President Donald Trump for attacking the media and ignoring questions he doesn't like.

She often clashed with White House press secretaries Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sean Spicer during media briefings.

She published 'Under Fire' last year, a book dealing with the challenges and attacks that journalists have faced in recent years.

In response to Ryan's interview, Kratovil told CNN: 'I don’t think the things she said ring true about her role.'

'She couldn’t own up to it,' he said. 'For whatever reason, she’s not going to accept responsibility. It is very disappointing.'

Footage of the incident from Kratovil's own camera showed Ryan going up onto the stage before Morris approached and whispered something to her.

Ryan momentarily stopped speaking before telling the crowd: 'When I speak, I don't have news covering my speeches'.

Kratovil's camera then moved abruptly and he could be heard saying: 'Don't touch my camera' and 'don't you dare, put that down, sir. That's my camera'.

He said he quickly followed Morris into the lobby of the venue in a bid to get his camera back.

Moments later, Morris could be seen grabbing Kratovil's arm, twisting it behind his back and forcing him from the venue.

Kratovil tweeted out a photo of himself last Monday holding the criminal summons for Morris detailing the charges against him.

Morris is scheduled to appear in Middlesex County Superior Court on September 12.