This is one thorough apology. I mean, even for an average joe this would be something. Coming from a politician, it’s practically historic.

It’s “John Cleese hanging upside down outside the window” caliber.

Trump as governor would have said something about how we wishes the reporter were Jim Acosta and suggested that the cops use their nightsticks next time.

Walz makes a smart point in the clip about why the arrest was such a bad look. It’s not just another community relations fiasco due to embarrassingly bad policing a few days removed from an incident in which embarrassingly bad policing killed a man. It’s that people watching the arrest play out on TV might come away from it believing that the cops are planning to get aggressive with protesters and rioters and want to make sure there are no cameras around when they do. That could further inflame a situation that needs cooling off.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on arrest of CNN crew: "There is absolutely no reason something like this should happen. Calls were made immediately. This is a very public apology to that team….I failed you last night." pic.twitter.com/6ZnZiVTlax

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 29, 2020

I watched the clip of the arrest this morning, read Ed’s post, and still have no idea what the CNN crew did wrong or what state PD thought they were accomplishing by hauling them in. The reporter, Omar Jimenez, offered to move out of the cops’ way if they needed him to. He offered them his press badge to prove that he really is a reporter and not some looter under deep, deep, deep cover with a camera crew. He even let them know they were on the air in case the prospect of having this arrest carried live to the world might dissuade them from following through. They arrested him anyway. Jimenez came back on the air after he was released, as you’ll see below, and … he doesn’t seem to know why he was arrested either. When he asked the arresting officer where the crew should set up in the future, he allegedly replied, “I don’t know, man. I’m just following orders.”

Just to make this a little bit worse, a different CNN reporter who was nearby but not with Jimenez’s crew was asked by cops what he was doing there. That reporter, Josh Campbell, is white and was allowed to stay. Only Jimenez and his crew got pinched.

Watch: @OmarJimenez's account of his arrest this morning pic.twitter.com/rD2fiG8jbP

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 29, 2020