Following up the shooting incident in El Paso, Texas, where a gunman who took the lives of over 20 people over the weekend, Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro criticized President Trump and said he holds some responsibility for instigating the assault.
He then carried over his criticisms of the president to his supporters and tweeted out a list of those people who live in the San Antonio area, where Castro represents, who have contributed the maximum legal amount to Trump’s campaign.
The list, Politico reports, includes names and occupations of his constituents.
Rep. Joaquin Castro is on the defense after he was pummeled by some on social media for posting a list of the names of 44 Trump donors https://t.co/yOuvGYrBgT
— POLITICO (@politico) August 7, 2019
From the report:
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas and chairman of the presidential campaign of his twin brother, Julián, fired back on Tuesday after being castigated on social media for tweeting the names and occupations of his constituents who’d maxed out their donations to President Donald Trump.
His tweet contained a graphic titled “Who’s funding Trump?” and listed the names of 44 people who purportedly contributed the maximum amount allowed by campaign finance laws. Their occupations, which, like donor names, are public record, were also listed. Close to a dozen of the donors shown are retirees.
The graphic, which Castro indicated had originated with a Democratic activist group, was blasted out to the more than 27,000 followers of his congressional campaign account on Tuesday afternoon. It came as politicians’ loaded rhetoric has come under closer scrutiny after a mass shooting over the weekend in El Paso that killed 22 and wounded dozens of others. Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, which mirrored language used by the suspected shooter in a racist manifesto, has loomed over the tragedy in the days since.
Check it out:
Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump — the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ, owner of the @HistoricPearl, realtor Phyllis Browning, etc.
Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’ pic.twitter.com/YT85IBF19u
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) August 6, 2019
Several Republican members of Congress criticized Castro’s deliberate sharing of the Trump supporters’ personal information.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted: “Targeting and harassing Americans because of their political beliefs is shameful and dangerous. What happened to ‘when they go low, we go high?’ Or does that no longer matter when your brother is polling at 1%?”
“Americans deserve better,” he added.
Targeting and harassing Americans because of their political beliefs is shameful and dangerous. What happened to “when they go low, we go high?” Or does that no longer matter when your brother is polling at 1%? Americans deserve better. https://t.co/PiFcifpxc1
— Kevin McCarthy (@kevinomccarthy) August 6, 2019
In a tweet, Senator John Cornyn similar called the action “grossly inappropriate.”
“This win-at-all-costs mentality, publicly targeting an opponent’s supporters, and encouraging retaliation is dangerous and not what Texans have a right to expect from their members of Congress,” the Republican senator added.
This is grossly inappropriate, especially in the wake of recent tragic shootings. This win-at-all-costs mentality, publicly targeting an opponent’s supporters, and encouraging retaliation is dangerous and not what Texans have a right to expect from their members of Congress. https://t.co/Ecw4mszp4Y
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 6, 2019
Politico reports House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, who was shot at a congressional baseball practice in 2017, said: “People should not be personally targeted for their political views. Period. This isn’t a game. It’s dangerous, and lives are at stake.”
“I know this firsthand,” the Louisiana Congressman continued.
Here’s how some other people responded:
A new low for the aggressive, out-of-control, radical left. 👇🏻
“Joaquin Castro Posts Names, Employers Of Trump Donors” https://t.co/vB4raRKufM— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) August 6, 2019
1) This is appalling, and everything that is wrong with "transparency" laws. That a public official would broadcast across social media the names of private citizens, teeing them up for retribution and harassment by the mobs, is conduct unbecoming. https://t.co/Xvfj8uc8ok
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) August 6, 2019
Doxing is a violation of Twitter TOS https://t.co/VvFPDrI4D2
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 6, 2019