- A local Florida news reporter said Sen Marco Rubio refused to answer his questions at an event.
- Michael Putney added that he has welcomed Rubio on his show every week for the last two years.
- "You got a problem with me, tell me to my face," Putney said.
A local Florida news reporter said Marco Rubio "refused" to answer his questions at a recent campaign event and that Rubio often appears on Fox News instead of his show because they "handle him with kid gloves."
WPLG News 10 senior political reporter Michael Putney spoke about the "unsatisfactory encounter" with Rubio during a "personal perspective" to his Sunday broadcast.
"Unsatisfactory because he refused to talk to me," Putney said.
Putney said that Rubio was speaking to the American Jewish Coalition at Mo's Bagels in Aventura, Florida, on Friday, and his news station was invited to be the pool camera.
"But they got upset when they learned that I would be the pool reporter," Putney said. "Because Senator Rubio apparently thinks I've been unfair to him because I wrongly said his record of accomplishment is thin."
Putney said he was then uninvited from the event but opted to go anyway "because that's what reporters do, especially when a Senator is locked in a tough fight to keep his seat."
"You'd think he'd want media attention, but you'd be wrong," Putney continued. "He wanted our camera there, but not me."
Putney said that Rubio posed for photos with supporters after the event and that his team wanted the News 10 camera to film him, but they would not allow Putney to ask any questions.
Putney said Rubio's team tried to block his access to the senator so he couldn't ask questions.
"I'm going to push you out of the way if you don't move," Putney can be heard saying in footage from Friday's event. The broadcast then showed footage of Rubio driving away from the event while Putney announced that he refused to speak.
"But Rubio appears frequently on Fox, where he gets softball questions," Putney said. "Senator Rubio obviously likes to go on Fox because they handle him with kid gloves."
Putney said that News 10 has invited Rubio to be a guest on his show every week for two years.
He said he would ask "tough but fair" questions to the senator, but Rubio can "never find the time" to join the program.
"Come on, make your best case for reelection," Putney said, inviting Rubio onto his program yet again. "And if you want, come on and tell me where to stick it! I can take it. You got a problem with me, tell me to my face."