White House Reporter Grabbed, Pushed After Question to Biden

A White House pool reporter was knocked off balance Monday by a man who grabbed her backpack after she asked President Biden a question in advance of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Indonesia. As press was being ushered out of the room, Molly Nagle, a television producer for ABC News, tried to shout a question to Biden about whether he would address human rights issues with Xi during the meeting, NBC News reports. A man, whom Nagle later identified as being "a member of the Chinese group," per the Hill, grabbed her backpack and pulled her backward, causing her to lose her balance.

Politico's report, which cites the press pool report, reads, "A man wearing a face mask with a Chinese flag 'yanked the producer backwards by the backpack,' according to a White House press pool report. 'She lost balance without falling and was pushed toward the door. Two White House staff members intervened,'" telling the man from the Chinese side to leave Nagle alone. Another report from an AFP White House reporter notes that Nagle was also "pushed toward the door." According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, China's actions against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups are possibly crimes against humanity. (More White House press corps stories.)