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Sen. John McCain speaks to reporters following the nomination hearing of retired Gen. Jim Mattis as President-elect Trump’s pick to become the next Secretary of Defense Jan. 12, in Washington, DC. | M. Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO Reporters protest restrictions on TV interviews in Capitol

Senate Rules Committee Chairman Richard Shelby sought to tamp down a media firestorm after television reporters were told by the director of the Senate Radio and Television Gallery that they could no longer film impromptu interviews with senators in Capitol hallways.

On Tuesday morning, Mike Mastrian, director of the Senate Radio and Television Gallery, which reports to the Rules Committee, told reporters that in order to get approval for a hallway interview with a senator, a reporter must now call the committee’s chief counsel and obtain prior permission from the senator being interviewed.

Such conditions would mean that hallway “stakeouts” of committee meetings or hearings would be significantly curtailed because they are often impromptu and thus there would be no time to obtain prior approval.

Reporters reacted furiously, saying the new restrictions seem designed to prevent senators from answering uncomfortable questions.

"This is an effort to prevent reporters from doing our job and getting members on record about the key issues of the day. It will totally stop us from reporting on camera," said one veteran Capitol reporter, speaking without attribution.

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Craig Caplan, a C-SPAN producer and chair of the Radio-Television Correspondents’ Association, said the RTCA condemns "in the strongest possible terms the Senate Rules Committee’s effort to limit press access."

"Restricting access in public spaces in the U.S. Capitol and Senate office buildings prevents the American public from hearing directly from their lawmakers. We are in discussions with the Senate Rules Committee to address their concerns and look forward to developing a workable solution that does not curtail our First Amendment rights," Caplan wrote.

Shelby (R-Ala.) put out a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying there had been no changes to the existing rules, but suggesting that the new guidelines were a matter of tougher enforcement of existing rules.

"The committee has been working with the various galleries to ensure compliance with existing rules in an effort to help provide a safe environment for Members of Congress, the press corps, staff, and constituents as they travel from Senate offices to the Capitol. Once again, no additional restrictions have been put in place by the Rules committee," Shelby said.

When asked if Shelby's statement means television reporters will still be allowed to conduct hallway interviews as they had previously, Shelby spokesperson Blair Bailey said via email: "While the Rules Committee is reviewing the rules, reporters should continue to operate as they were operating yesterday."

Mastrian and his deputy director of the Senate Radio and Television Gallery did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, said she spoke with Shelby and expressed her opposition to the new restrictions. She said he told her that what happened was the result of a "staff inquiry [and] that he wouldn't want to stop the press from doing their jobs."

"I'm hopeful that this was a one-shot deal. If not, he'll hear from me again," Klobuchar said, adding that she opposes such restrictions and was not aware of them before reports began appearing in the press.

The Senate Radio and Television Gallery website states that "Videotaping and stakeouts in the Capitol and the Congressional complex require permission and are prohibited outright in some areas" and asks reporters to "keep safety in mind when walking in front of or walking behind a subject while recording audio or shooting video anywhere inside the Congressional complex."

Another section says: "Media may move freely outside of the established press area, and can go anywhere the general public is permitted to go without blocking hallways, streets, sidewalks, etc. and comply with applicable law, rule, or regulation."

Concerns about reporters crowding the Capitol have been growing as more journalists flock to Capitol Hill to capture the reactions of members of Congress to the latest drama engulfing the Trump administration.

There have been repeated warnings sent out to reporters, especially those working for television networks, who sometimes send multiple crews to the same event. Rope lines have been placed for the first time in the Capitol basement near the subway to Senate office buildings. The ropes are used to corral reporters during Senate votes in order to allow lawmakers to enter and exit the Capitol without being stopped.

"Collectively, the press following Senators have become large and aggressive. We are concerned someone may get hurt," the Senate press gallery wrote in a letter to news organizations last month.

Network bureau chiefs were expected to push back on the new restrictions.

"We are still trying to get a readout of a formal decision from the rules committee, if it exists. This has been building for some time," CBS Washington Bureau Chief Chris Isham said in an email. "There have been numerous complaints about unruly behavior in the hallways."

On Tuesday morning, reporters tweeted out that they were already facing new restrictions on their ability to ask questions of senators.

"I was just told I cannot stand outside of the Budget Committee hearing room to interview lawmakers," Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli tweeted.

“NBC's coverage teams & other TV outlets were waiting to get reactions from senators at several hearings when we were told to evacuate halls," tweeted NBC News Associate Producer Mariana Sotomayor.

But by afternoon, some reporters said the old procedures were back in place and they were no longer facing any new restrictions.

Elana Schor and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.



