Bruce would not discuss kicking photographer in news conference

DENVER - Freshman lawmaker Douglas Bruce held a press conference Tuesday morning, the day after he kicked a photographer during the morning prayer. 

Bruce said the news conference would be about emergency legislation -- not his kicking incident. During the conference he said the kicking incident had been magnified and that it had turned into a feeding frenzy.

Bruce got upset when a Rocky Mountain News photographer took his picture during the prayer Monday and brought his heel down on the photographer's bent knee after saying, "Don't do that again."

Bruce refused to apologize and says the photographer, Javier Manzano, was out of line and that the photographer should be the one apologizing.

Several photographers were taking pictures of Bruce to chronicle his first day as a legislator.

Denver Post photographer Mark Osler was right next to Manzano when it happened.

"I took two pictures in quick succession and Javier was about to take a picture and Mr. Bruce looked down at him and said something to the affect of, 'don't,' and Javier put his camera down," said Osler. "He put the camera up and took one frame and at that point Mr. Bruce said something to the affect of, 'I told you, don't,' and he kicked him pretty hard."

While speaking to the media after the session, Bruce was asked if he was going to apologize for kicking the photographer.

"I think the Rocky Mountain News photographer ought to apologize to the House and to me and to all the people whom he disrupted. He needs to get a lesson in manners and decorum," said Bruce. "He was told already not to block the aisle. See you want to make a big deal out of it and again sort of make me out to be the bad guy. He was disrupting a prayer and disrupting a Pledge of Allegiance and blocking traffic and I told him politely not to do it and he insisted on doing it and he ought to be ashamed of himself."

"I said, 'Don't do that,'" said Bruce. "His behavior was reprehensible. He shouldn't be disrupting a public prayer during a House session."

Osler says the photographers were not violating any rules.

"There's nothing that would have given anybody any cause to think that what was going on was inappropriate. No one else responded to it other than Mr. Bruce," said Osler.

Rocky Mountain News Publisher John Temple said Manzano had a right to take Bruce's picture.

"It's standard and no lawmaker makes the rules of what should occur on the floor. The rules are set by the Speaker of the House and if there's a problem, the Speaker of the House will address the problem," said Temple.

Temple said he would discuss the incident with House leadership.

"The House floor is a place where journalists are allowed to operate. It's outrageous for Mr. Bruce in a public place to assault a photographer," Temple said. "All the leadership that I spoke to were concerned about what the impact this was on the reputation and the image of the House."

"He should not have done what he did. You want me to say that 50 times? I'll send you an e-mail. He should not have done what he did. He should apologize to me and to the House," Bruce told the media. "I was trying to stop him from causing a public disruption and I asked him not to do it beforehand. Specifically. I'm glad that he maybe, finally, I hope, learned a lesson."

"It was certainly inappropriate and over the top," said Osler. "You have to be able to exhibit restraint when you are operating in the capacity he is and he didn't and I think that's inappropriate."

"How showing a person in prayer is negative, I don't understand," said Temple. "If there's a problem, there's ways of dealing with it that are not kicking another human being."

Manzano did not have a comment.

Bruce also didn't get the swearing-in ceremony he demanded, with the full House in attendance.

The anti-tax crusader who was chosen by El Paso County Republicans to fill a vacant seat, agreed to take the oath of office later when the House wasn't in session - standard practice for midterm appointees.

He wanted the House to be in session because he said Democrats accused him of wrongdoing for delaying his swearing-in until five days after the session started.

Bruce said last week he had done nothing wrong and vowed, "It will not be a proceeding in secret."

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a Denver Democrat, refused.

"I'm not willing to delay the business of the House to indulge anyone's vanity," he said Friday.

Fellow Republicans threatened to give the open seat to someone else if Bruce didn't take the oath by the end of the day Monday. It wasn't clear whether that was a factor in his decision to back down.

Bruce went to the House floor Monday as a guest of Rep. Kent Lambert, a fellow Republican from Colorado Springs

Midterm appointees typically are sworn in shortly after their appointments during private ceremonies usually presided over by the chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. A swearing-in while the House is in session would cause a delay of about 15 minutes.

Bruce was chosen last month to fill a vacant House seat but waited to take the oath until Monday - when the unexpired term will be more than half over - so he will be eligible to serve eight more years under term limits, instead of six.

Bruce said the delay was recommended by a judge during a previous court challenge to term limits.

Romanoff has said Bruce should have taken the oath within 10 days of his appointment.