A recap of Tom Tiffany’s week – the bad, the worse, and the WTF 

BANNING PRESS: The campaign heat is getting to Tiffany. At an event yesterday in Milwaukee, he pulled a page straight from Trump’s playbook and blocked the investigative reporter who broke the fundraising story from entering his event because he didn’t like her coverage.

  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
    • “Staffer Eric Brooks told reporters they were barred entry due to the belief the Journal Sentinel has covered the campaign unfairly.”
    • Greg Borowski, executive editor of the Journal Sentinel, said the newsroom is committed to covering the campaign and candidates fairly and noted the Tiffany campaign has not raised any issues with him. 
    • “When our reporters cover campaigns and attend political events, they are there on behalf of the public,” said Borowski. “Blocking them blocks the public from vital information.”
    • The episode raises questions about how Tiffany would handle media access if elected.
  • The Washington Sun: “In a video posted to social media, a campaign staffer stood in a doorway to prevent Spicuzza from entering the event.”
  • WPR: “A social media account associated with Tiffany’s campaign accused Spicuzza of being a ‘liberal activist’ and said that’s why reporters from other outlets were allowed to cover the event, and she was not.”
  • Wisconsin Examiner: “Tiffany’s effort to keep out journalists whose reporting he doesn’t like violates the same constitutional principle protecting the free press that a federal judge cited when he ordered the White House to restore press passes to the three news outlets Trump banned.”

🔥👖PANTS ON FIRE…Just two days before his campaign barred the Journal Sentinel, Tiffany promised he’d never do exactly that.

  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Only two days ago, Tiffany was asked for his response to Trump’s decision and whether he would consider doing the same. Tiffany told the reporter he would allow all reporters to attend his events, even those from the Journal Sentinel…”
  • David Crowley to WPR: “Congressman Tom Tiffany likes to lie. … He literally said that … he would never turn away a reporter from covering his events. And two days later, he did exactly that.”

AND IT’S NOT A ONE-OFF: Thursday wasn’t an isolated incident – it’s a pattern from a candidate who treats tough questions like a personal attack:

  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
    • “Tiffany chastised another Journal Sentinel reporter at an event on Sept. 18… Tiffany told the reporter, ‘when you start reporting me accurately and in context, then I’ll be happy to take more questions.’”
    • “Tiffany also has declined interview requests from the Journal Sentinel for more than a year. His staff also recently removed Journal Sentinel reporters covering the race from a media advisory distribution list.”
  • Wisconsin Examiner: “When Spears and Redman traveled to a Tiffany campaign event this week to try to get a comment from Tiffany… a campaign staffer intervened physically to block the question and adopted an aggressive posture that appeared to be designed to intimidate them.”
  • Wisconsin Examiner: “By banning journalists and ducking multiple debates, Tiffany reinforces the impression that
    he prefers to remain in a bubble with like-minded Republicans and high-dollar donors…”

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Speaking of high-dollar donors – the story Tiffany didn’t want covered? It exposed the billionaires bankrolling his campaign.

  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3 billionaires put Tom Tiffany in a big cash lead over David Crowley
  • Wisconsin Examiner: “…campaign finance records showing that three billionaires are responsible for about two-thirds of the campaign cash Tiffany has raised so far.”
  • Wisconsin Examiner: “…his three ultra-rich donors, Diane Hendricks and Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein — two of whom live in Illinois — who have given him close to $10 million. Richard Uihlein’s Restoration of America PAC has separately spent another $11.3 million to boost Tiffany…”

PAIN AT THE PUMP: While billionaires fill up Tiffany’s campaign account, Wisconsin families are paying more to fill up their tanks. Gas and diesel prices here are among the highest in the nation, thanks to Tiffany’s five votes to continue the war in Iran.

THE TIFFANY CURSE: Bad things come in threes. To cap off his week, Tiffany showed up to the Packers home opener – and watched them lose 35-14 to the Atlanta Falcons. We can’t help but wonder…is this the new Ted Cruz Curse? 

SHOT: 

CHASER:

TWEET OF THE WEEK: