Judge bans MSNBC from Rittenhouse trial for allegedly following jury bus

MSNBC has been banned from the Kyle Rittenhouse trial after someone claiming to be a network producer said he was instructed to follow the jury bus.

Judge Bruce Schroeder, who is overseeing the Rittenhouse homicide trial, said a man claiming to be a producer for MSNBC News was following the jury bus from a distance on Wednesday night.

The police pulled the man over after he ran a red light. The man, who identified himself as James J. Morrison, told the police he had been instructed to follow the bus by his supervisors at MSNBC.

“I have instructed that no one from MSNBC will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial,” said Schroeder. “This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is.”

The judge said that someone following a jury bus is an “extremely serious matter” and that he will “refer to proper authorities for further action.”

While the matter is still under further investigation, NBC News released a statement about the incident.

"Last night, a freelancer received a traffic citation. While the traffic violation took place near the jury van, the freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them," NBC News said. "We regret the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities on any investigation."

The development comes after someone was caught recording the jurors last week. Schroeder announced he would be taking steps to ensure the incident did not happen again.

On Thursday, the Rittenhouse trial began the third day of deliberations for five felony charges related to the shooting of two people last year in Wisconsin. The deliberations come after a two-week trial. Rittenhouse, 18, claims to have acted in self-defense.