Protestor interrupts Soros event

Before George Soros began his speech at the National Press Club today, a protestor managed to scoot up to the podium to address the crowd, while holding up a photo of his deceased son. Staff physically restrained the guy, and seemed most concerned to get the mic away from him as fast as possible. Cliff, Peter Flaherty , John Carlisle (of the National Legal Policy Center) and I were sitting at a table at the opposite side of the event. Soon a NPC staffer came over to tell us sternly if we caused any disturbance or were associated with anyone else who caused another disturbance we would all be kicked out.

So what was really going on? The protestor was Steve Steiner. His son died from a drug overdose and he was attempting to protest Soros' support for legalization of some drugs.  Steiner was at a National Drug Summit press conference earlier in the day, held at the Rayburn House, which featured a gaggle of government and non-profit groups and experts. (Steiner was one of 4 parents who spoke at the summit, and who had brought photos of their deceased children.) Cliff and I were also there at the press conference, and then later attended Flaherty's and Carlisle's press conference which criticized Soros. Thus we must've been fingered as part of a conspiracy to disrupt the Soros event.

Security later told me Steiner was neatly deposited out on 14th Street.

On another note: Besides the fact Flaherty didn't even know who Steiner was, and like us, was as surprised as the crowd was, Flaherty thought it ironic when the NPC said that he could be assured that no disruption of his press conference would be tolerated either. Flaherty's conference was disrupted by Soros' spokesman Michael Vachon, who earlier had neatly positioned himself inside the door to hand out a Soros statement on the NLPC being funded by the "secretive right-wing billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife."

Vachon, with Soros' personal attorney and Fenton Communications' Brendan McCarty in tow, managed to commandeer the NLPC press conference from the back of the room, causing the cameras to swing back to Vachon. After NLPC regained control of the event, a grinning Vachon nudged Soros' attorney and whispered, "So how was that?" One attendee griped, "Isn't this all just a billionaire vs. billionaire thing?" Flaherty spoke about the hypocrisy of Soros funding McCain Feingold, then spending millions on 527's. The NLPC then brought it to a close and offered copies of the legal complaint they filed with the FEC. Soon Soros' attorney was holding court inside the press conference room, and all mics were back on him.

And that's a wrap.