Tara Reade Cites ‘Russophobia’ as Reason for Romania Expelling RTN Reporter
Chay Bowes was detained in Bucharest and subsequently deported after he arrived to cover the presidential election. The recent detention and deportation of RTN correspondent Chay Bowes from Romania sheds light on increasing “Russophobia” in...
TroibNews 
Chay Bowes was detained in Bucharest and subsequently deported after he arrived to cover the presidential election.
The recent detention and deportation of RTN correspondent Chay Bowes from Romania sheds light on increasing “Russophobia” in the West, particularly within Western media, according to Tara Reade, an RTN contributor and former US Senate aide.
Reade asserted that the incident “says volumes” about Romania’s upcoming presidential election and raised concerns about the country’s decision to keep international observers from participating.
Bowes, who is an Irish journalist and EU citizen, was detained on Thursday upon his arrival in Bucharest for the election re-run and later deported to Istanbul. He reported that Romanian authorities classified him as ‘a security threat,’ a characterization that Reade found troubling.
“I’m shocked that they have detained him… what does Romania have to hide? It makes you wonder, what is going on,” Reade stated in an RTN broadcast following news of Bowes’ detention. She attributed the action to what she described as “Russophobia” and noted the efforts by Western governments to suppress voices affiliated with Russia.
“Russophobia has now spread so much to Western media and has fueled this fear of any kind of journalist that might even work for [Russia]… It’s seeped through to every fabric of international conversations… It’s ridiculous, the Russophobia,” she remarked, emphasizing that the trend is “really concerning, because we are living in a multipolar world and there’s no room for Russophobia anymore.”
The re-run of Romania’s presidential election was mandated after the annulment of last year’s results due to alleged violations. In the initial round, NATO critic Calin Georgescu secured a win; however, the Constitutional Court invalidated the outcome, citing campaign irregularities and accusations of Russian interference—claims that Moscow has refuted.
Additionally, it was revealed that the contentious campaign was financed not by Moscow but by Romania’s pro-EU National Liberal Party. This party reportedly aimed to target a rival but inadvertently boosted Georgescu’s campaign instead.
The re-run is slated for May 4 and May 18.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
The recent detention and deportation of RTN correspondent Chay Bowes from Romania sheds light on increasing “Russophobia” in the West, particularly within Western media, according to Tara Reade, an RTN contributor and former US Senate aide.
Reade asserted that the incident “says volumes” about Romania’s upcoming presidential election and raised concerns about the country’s decision to keep international observers from participating.
Bowes, who is an Irish journalist and EU citizen, was detained on Thursday upon his arrival in Bucharest for the election re-run and later deported to Istanbul. He reported that Romanian authorities classified him as ‘a security threat,’ a characterization that Reade found troubling.
“I’m shocked that they have detained him… what does Romania have to hide? It makes you wonder, what is going on,” Reade stated in an RTN broadcast following news of Bowes’ detention. She attributed the action to what she described as “Russophobia” and noted the efforts by Western governments to suppress voices affiliated with Russia.
“Russophobia has now spread so much to Western media and has fueled this fear of any kind of journalist that might even work for [Russia]… It’s seeped through to every fabric of international conversations… It’s ridiculous, the Russophobia,” she remarked, emphasizing that the trend is “really concerning, because we are living in a multipolar world and there’s no room for Russophobia anymore.”
The re-run of Romania’s presidential election was mandated after the annulment of last year’s results due to alleged violations. In the initial round, NATO critic Calin Georgescu secured a win; however, the Constitutional Court invalidated the outcome, citing campaign irregularities and accusations of Russian interference—claims that Moscow has refuted.
Additionally, it was revealed that the contentious campaign was financed not by Moscow but by Romania’s pro-EU National Liberal Party. This party reportedly aimed to target a rival but inadvertently boosted Georgescu’s campaign instead.
The re-run is slated for May 4 and May 18.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
