00:00Members of Congress are granting Capitol Hill guest privileges to content creators with the purpose of pushing their agenda.
00:06The practice has been frustrating both lawmakers and journalists because the influencers are breaking long-established rules.
00:15This all came to the spotlight after Don Lemon had an interaction with Congresswoman Nancy Mace on the House steps.
00:22Not only did Lemon break the rules by following a member up the stairs, it turned out he doesn't have a press credential.
00:28The Democratic Policy and Communications Committee had a staff member escorting him around Capitol Grounds.
00:34How come the DPCC is giving Don Lemon a congressional staff escort?
00:39Oh, I don't know about that.
00:41You don't know about that?
00:42We have a digital person who escorts a lot of different creators when they're on the Hill.
00:47Is there an expectation that they put out a certain form of content or a certain lean content?
00:54Certain kind of content?
00:55We don't know how to censor any content, but we have certain creators that come on the Hill.
01:00DPCC will sometimes welcome around so they can go meet the members that they want to meet.
01:05And is this a paid staff position through taxpayers?
01:08Frost's answer was enlightening because it revealed this is a common practice and there are a number of influencers being let in.
01:15This is being done by both Democrats and Republicans.
01:18The Republican Study Committee, which shapes conservative policy in Congress, hosted what it called New Media Row in July.
01:25The guests included Jackson Gosnell, an independent journalist and commentator, and the Conservative Political Action Conference, a political advocacy organization commonly referred to as CPAC.
01:36Lawmakers are hosting those who couldn't otherwise get press credentials under the current rules, which state membership to the press galleries is limited to bona fide correspondents of repute in their profession who are full-time paid correspondents of recognized news organizations.
01:52That automatically disqualifies independent journalists and commentators.
01:57Speaker Mike Johnson asked the press gallery to be more open to allowing more independent journalists in.
02:03The problem is many of them are openly biased and advocate for certain policies, which would also prohibit them from getting a press credential.
02:12I'm Ray Bogan for Straight Hour News.
02:14For more reporting straight from our nation's capital, download the SAN app.
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