Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith hides behind Capitol Police rather than answer a question about Nolan Wells

Republican Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith appeared to motion toward Capitol Police officers Wednesday as Daniel Grimes, a correspondent for The Don Lemon Show, tried to ask her about the death of Nolan Wells, a Black 18-year-old from her state. One officer rose from a desk and approached Grimes. Moments later, a second stepped between the journalist and the senator.“I don’t do hallway interviews,” Hyde-Smith told Grimes in a publicly accessible place where press can ask questions near doors marked “Subway to Dirksen & Capitol” in the Hart Senate Office Building, according to the video his newsroom provided. She repeated the line as Grimes tried to ask about a Mississippi grand jury’s decision not to indict anyone in Wells’ death.“She’s not willing to give you an interview,” an officer told Grimes. When Grimes replied that he could still ask a question, the officer said, “You can’t keep harassing her, okay?”Grimes, a credentialed journalist, disputed that characterization. He told The Advocate that one officer put a hand on his shoulder, then let go when he backed up. “I don’t want to make it seem more intense than it actually was,” he said. “So it was primarily them using their bodies to box me in.”Footage taken by Grimes shows Hyde-Smith moving toward the officers, followed by their approach to Grimes. It does not establish what, if anything, she said. The Advocate asked her office whether she requested police intervention and asked Capitol Police why the officers approached Grimes. Neither responded to multiple requests for comment.The Senate Radio-TV Correspondents Gallery’s published rules say restrictions on filming in Capitol subways vary by location and that some coverage requires approval. A Capitol Police memo reproduced on the same page says journalists may enter areas open to the public if they comply with applicable rules and do not block passage. The gallery’s published guidance does not establish which filming