Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins, who often ambushes liberals for host Bill O’Reilly, appeared at CPAC this weekend to help cover the event for his network. When ThinkProgress found him, he was casually chatting with a gaggle of students about working at Fox News, and about conservatism in general. Asked about Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s ownership stake in News Corp — the parent company of Fox News — Jenkins dodged the question. Then, before ThinkProgress could continue the interview, Jenkins said any request for an interview had to be scheduled beforehand by his media relations personnel in New York:
JENKINS: I’m just covering CPAC for Greta, but listen, call the media relations people, we can do something about my coverage here, other than that, ask the media relations people.
[crosstalk]
TP: Do you ever extend that courtesy to the people you interview?
JEKINS: I gotta go buddy. […]
TP: I’m just asking, when you ambush people, do you ever do that? […]
JENKINS: I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m working here.
TP: Yeah, but sometimes when you ambush people, they’re working too.
Watch it:
Jenkins proceeded to hide behind a phalanx of conservative volunteers for CPAC, and later returned to milling around with CPAC attendees. He is hypocritical for saying he shouldn’t be interviewed while at work. Over the course of his career, he has ambushed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) while Grayson was at work, ambushed former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) outside of him home, and Columbia professor Alan Brinkley on his way to work — all without scheduling an interview beforehand. Indeed, even Jenkin’s fellow ambusher at Fox News, Jesse Watters, stalked and harassed ThinkProgress editor Amanda Terkel while she was on vacation, without ever asking for an interview.