A man was forcibly removed before the start of a Monday press conference with President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland.
Reporters at the press conference said the man was Sam Husseini, who The Nation said had received press accreditation from the outlet to cover the summit. He was seen holding a sign reading “Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty” and had passed around an op-ed about “secure elections and true national security.”
Husseini is a senior analyst and director of communications for the Institute for Public Accuracy, according to the organization’s website. The site also identifies him as a contributing writer with The Nation, and his work has also been published in other news outlets.
The Nation said in a statement:
Sam Husseini, communications director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, received press accreditation from The Nation to cover the summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. At a time when this administration consistently denigrates the media, we’re troubled by reports that he was forcibly removed from the press conference before the two leaders began to take questions. This is a developing situation that we will be following closely.
This story has been updated with more details on the man involved.