In an exclusive interview with Current TV's The Young Turks, BuzzFeed reporter Michael Hastings says he was covering President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign when Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel grabbed him by the arm.
The Young Turks played an audio recording of the alleged confrontation between the sometimes abrasive mayor and Hastings.
The argument started with a garbled comment Hastings made about Obama's re-election.
"What did you say to me?" Emanuel said to Hastings. In response, Hastings seemed to get a bit testy, calling Emanuel "buddy," and accusing Emanuel of insulting him.
Hastings says Emanuel then grabbed him.
"I've never experienced anything like this in my career from an American public official," Hastings said. "He grabbed me by the arm and wouldn't let go while his bodyguards approached me. And clearly trying to intimidate me with a threat of physical violence."
Hastings told The Young Turks he considered filing charges but ultimately decided against it.
Emanuel's office didn't immediately respond Friday to Business Insider's request for comment about Hastings' allegations.
The isn't the first time Hastings has generated headlines for going toe-to-toe with a prominent government official.
Hastings so angered State Department spokesman Philippe Reines with questions about Reines' attack on CNN for its Benghazi coverage that Reines ultimately cursed at Hastings and told him to "have a good life," BuzzFeed reported in September.
Watch Hastings' full interview, courtesy of Current TV:
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