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ABC Reporter Disputes Fox News Anchor's Feeling of Danger at Supreme Court: 'I Felt No Threat'

ABC News correspondent Terry Moran disputed Fox News anchor Shannon Bream's feeling of danger at the Supreme Court building on the night President Donald Trump announced his nominee to serve on the High Court, tweeting Tuesday he "felt no threat."

Bream, the anchor of "Fox News @ Night," tweeted Monday she retreated to the studio after saying she felt threatened by the crowd, who were mostly left-leaning and protesting Trump's pending Supreme Court pick. Bream had been reporting live from the building throughout the day in anticipation of Trump's announcement, and she planned to broadcast her show from the Supreme Court building as well.

A conservative reporter for Heritage Foundation wrote on Twitter men were screaming at Bream and calling her a "blonde bimbo."

"It got so volatile at points that we ultimately didn't feel like it would be safe to do an hour of live television out there," she said while interviewing Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) Monday.

Moran appeared to take exception to Bream's characterization of the mood at the Supreme Court, linking to a Mediaite story on Twitter and writing, "I was broadcasting from the SCOTUS plaza until 11:00 PM that night. The protests were raucous; chants, posters and bullhorns on both sides. But I found it very democratic, all-American. I saw pro-choice and pro-life demonstrators arguing—passionately but civilly. I felt no threat."

https://twitter.com/TerryMoran/status/1016771685926801409

In response to critics who felt he was dismissing Bream's experience, Moran defended himself, saying law enforcement officials and those who were protesting civilly were being "slandered."

"It’s my reporting," he wrote. "The demonstrators I saw and heard for hours, the strong, respectful law enforcement presence, the many other TV crews and bystanders—I didn’t see the mob scene she portrays. And I didn’t want all those exercising their rights passionately but civilly slandered."

https://twitter.com/TerryMoran/status/1016916759213772800

https://twitter.com/TerryMoran/status/1016917677254701062

https://twitter.com/TerryMoran/status/1016918273760194560

During Moran's live report from the Supreme Court on Monday, he commented on the "remarkable" scene and the sense of the moment by people "on both sides" there. Left-leaning people appeared to be the vast majority of those in attendance, however; Moran was surrounded by people brandishing only progressive signs.

"While you hear the shouting and while you hear a lot of the anger in the air, you're also hearing along the sides, good old-fashioned, honest, democratic disagreement," Moran said. "I don't sense anything nasty."

Fox News meteorologist Janice Dean criticized Moran for his tweet about not feeling threatened, writing he should "support other journalists."

"Hi @TerryMoran congratulations on feeling safe the other night. Just because it didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean it didn’t happen to someone else. @ShannonBream is one of the most honest people I know. You should support other journalists not question them," she wrote.

Bream responded as well, saying she was glad Moran felt safe but maintaining she and her team felt "uneasy."

"I’m genuinely glad you felt safe," she tweeted. "It was a rowdy night out there. I’ve done many a liveshot in the midst protests, but our team was put in a situation that made us uneasy. We had to make a last minute call about moving the show, and did so out of an abundance of caution."

Bream told the Associated Press people shouted obscenities at her and her crew, crowded around them and even touched crew members as they tried to set up for her live shot.

"I’ve been in the middle of many protesters and signs and chanting and we all do our jobs," she said Tuesday. "But last night had a different feel to it."

The AP report compared Bream's experience to that of press members at Trump rallies, where Trump frequently blasts the media as "fake news" and supporters jeer and shout at them as well.