Trump envoy offends Lebanon’s press corps

Lebanon's often-fractious press corps was united in anger this week over comments by Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria, who warned journalists against “animalistic” behavior and told them to “act civilized.”

- NABIH BULOS

SPEAKING Tuesday in Beirut, envoy Tom Barrack warned journalists against "animalistic" behavior.

Faced with a media scrum during a news conference Tuesday in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, with a congressional delegation, Barrack strode to the podium and peremptorily told reporters they were “going to have a different set of rules.”

“The moment that this starts becoming chaotic — like animalistic — we're gone,” he said. “You want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region.”

Barrack is a real estate investor of Lebanese descent who, along with his Syria duties, serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

He was accompanied by deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus, Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rep. Joe Wilson (RS.C.) and is visiting Beirut to pressure the government into making real its plans to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.

The mood in the room wasn't especially raucous, but apparently it wasn’t quiet enough for a clearly irritated Barrack, who said, “Do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan and I to be here, putting up with this insanity?”