New White House Press Secretary Roughed Up in Scuffle with North Korean Guards: Report

BY JUSTIN WISE
The Hill
06/30/19 08:14 AM EDT

Newly appointed White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham was reportedly bruised in a scuffle with North Korean guards as President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Tensions escalated after the guards tried to prevent U.S. reporters from entering a room inside the Freedom House in South Korea as Trump and Kim began their meeting, according to The Guardian.

White House and foreign affairs correspondents tweeted about the encounter, saying Grisham got into a struggle with North Korean guards to ensure reporters had access to the meeting.

"New WH Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into a scuffle with the North Koreans to move members of the WH press pool into position to cover Trump and Kim, I’m told," CNN's Jim Acosta tweeted. "Grisham was a bit bruised. Source called it 'an all out brawl.'"

Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs shared a picture of Grisham's scuffle with North Korean security, adding that the scuffle resulted in "body blows."

CNN's Allie Malloy added that Grisham was seen on camera shouting "Go! Go!" as she opened a path for U.S. reporters to cover the meeting.

It remains unclear if Grisham received any significant injuries from the encounter. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Trump on Sunday made history by becoming the first U.S. president to set foot on North Korean soil. The occasion came as Trump met with Kim to restart stalled nuclear talks.

The two met for nearly one hour at the Freedom House on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.