CNN’s John Berman asked Monday whether Hillary Clinton’s heavy-handed wrangling of the press at a New Hampshire parade was a "sign of a campaign that wants its way or the highway."
"You can see disgruntled reporters," Berman said on CNN’s New Day, as the screen flashed photos of Clinton staffers herding reporters along the parade route with a rope. "There's nothing they hate more than someone telling them to stand back. We don't like it."
At the Fourth of July parade Hillary Clinton marched in Saturday in Gorham, New Hampshire, reporters following the candidate were kept -- and at moments, dragged -- behind an actual moving rope line.
The rope, which two Clinton staffers held on to on either side, was meant to give Clinton space as she walked down the parade route, but photos of reporters being dragged behind the rope as she marched have gone viral on Twitter.
The New Hampshire GOP released a statement critiquing Clinton, saying her use of the rope "insults the traditions of our First-in-the-Nation primary" and touted the Republican presidential candidates for marching in parades without "obstruction from their staff."
Clinton campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement: "While the GOP may want to spin a good yarn on this, let's not get tied up in knots. We wanted to accommodate the press, allow her to greet voters, and allow the press to be right there in the parade with her as opposed to preset locations. And that's what we did."
Clinton advance aides create a rope line for the press, moving with the candidate pic.twitter.com/9S7CpVt7x4
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 4, 2015
"Is this a sign of a campaign that wants its way or the highway?" Berman said.
New Day co-host Alyson Camerota was incredulous at the "optics" of Hillary’s treatment of the press, repeating a criticism heard on CNN the previous day.
"The optics of this," Camerota said. "She had reporters on a rope leash. What is that?"
The Daily Beast’s John Avlon agreed, saying that Clinton’s contempt for the press may affect her coverage.
"Reporters are not cattle," Avlon said. "It doesn't work in the smartphone era. If you have contempt, you are going to get it back. They have to change their campaign."
Journalists have lambasted the Clinton campaign for its manhandling of the press, saying it contributes to her image as a control freak.