McConnell, Chao are the latest to face the public’s wrath
Photo by (@Roberto62543651)
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao have become the latest figures on the right to face heated criticism while out in public.
A video that hit the web Monday evening and then picked up steam the following day shows McConnell and Chao, who are married, leaving an event at Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University.
We confronted @SenateMajLdr and @SecElaineChao with @ProPublica audio of children separated from their families at the border while leaving a @Georgetown event. We must #AbolishICE & #AbolishCBP! #FreedomforImmigrants pic.twitter.com/ljv70F3F0L
— Roberto (@Roberto62543651) June 26, 2018
A man who identified himself as a Georgetown student explained on Twitter why he spoke out.
My parents are Mexican immigrants, and I was infuriated that a man who blocked the Dream Act and a Trump cabinet official were invited to my campus. As a result, my friends quickly mobilized and went to the event that was held inside Copley Formal.
— Roberto (@Roberto62543651) June 26, 2018
We asked why they were separating families and Elaine L. Chao started yelling at us to leave her husband alone. My question is why they won’t leave our families, friends and communities alone? As my friend said, “how do you sleep at night?” #FreedomForImmigrants
— Roberto (@Roberto62543651) June 26, 2018
And to be honest, I cannot fathom how these movers of racism, discrimination and hate sleep at night. Cabinet officials like Elaine Chao might not like to hear it but she and her husband bear responsibility and we won’t stop telling that truth everywhere they go. #AbolishICE
— Roberto (@Roberto62543651) June 26, 2018
It is time for Congress to defund the deportation force. #AbolishICE #AbolishCBP #FreedomForImmigrants
— Roberto (@Roberto62543651) June 26, 2018
The incident follows a string of similar events, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen being shouted at in an upscale Mexican restaurant, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders being turned away from an eatery in Virginia, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi being driven out of a theater in Tampa and a report that White House aide Stephen Miller was called a “Fascist” at a Mescal bar.
The tendency for activists to confront those aligned with the administration in public has kicked off a debate over the tactic.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) urged supporters during a rally in Los Angeles over the weekend to take a more confrontational approach.
“If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters told the crowd.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called on her to apologize and President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to lambast her multiple times.
Congratulations to Maxine Waters, whose crazy rants have made her, together with Nancy Pelosi, the unhinged FACE of the Democrat Party. Together, they will Make America Weak Again! But have no fear, America is now stronger than ever before, and I’m not going anywhere!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2018
The face of the Democrats is now Maxine Waters who, together with Nancy Pelosi, have established a fine leadership team. They should always stay together and lead the Democrats, who want Open Borders and Unlimited Crime, well into the future….and pick Crooked Hillary for Pres.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said during a briefing that the “calls for harassment and push for any Trump supporter to avoid the public is unacceptable.”
“We are allowed to disagree, but we should be able to do so freely and without fear of harm,” Sanders said. “And this goes for all people regardless of politics.”
The incidents have largely taken place in response to the administration’s policy of separating families after crossing into the U.S. illegally, a practice that President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to taper back.
However, critics of the policy have continued to voice frustration, citing the lack of answers over when and how families will be reunited and concerns that the new policy could lead to indefinite detention for children.
The Majority Leader’s Office declined to comment. A request for comment from the Department of Transportation was not immediately returned.
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News.