The campaign manager for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Terry Sullivan, initially approved of the violence his deputy Rich Beeson engaged in on Thursday evening at a bar in Mackinac Island, Michigan.
Emails obtained by Breitbart News show that Sullivan—Rubio’s most senior campaign aide—told Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) campaign strategist John Yob that he was “glad” Beeson sucker punched him in the Michigan bar.
“Hey man you better wake up. Beeson punched me in the face. Cops involved,” Yob wrote in an email to Sullivan at 12:51 a.m. about the incident.
In response at 12:57 a.m., Sullivan endorsed the violent act Beeson allegedly conducted—and taunted Yob.
“Well that if you were talking shit I’m glad he did,” Sullivan said. “Besides. We need more space and wanna take over your townhouse when Rand is done.”
“Alright dude,” Yob wrote in response at 1:02 a.m.
After it became clear on Friday morning, however, that this was a serious matter—and that Michigan police were investigating Beeson’s actions—Sullivan wrote a response to Yob apologizing to him for his tone on Thursday evening.
“Hey John, I assumed you were kidding when you sent this last night. Guess I was wrong. Sorry I didn’t realize it was a real situation,” Sullivan wrote to Yob.
“I am pressing charges and hereby calling on Marco Rubio to fire Rich Beeson. The video will be online shortly,” Yob wrote back to Sullivan.
Yob told Breitbart News that he appreciates Sullivan admitting Beeson’s actions were deplorable.
“I appreciate Terry Sullivan’s change of heart this morning on the assault by his staff member and it is understandable that he would have initially thought that this was too crazy to actually be true,” Yob said in a statement. “The Rubio campaign is not to blame. Today I hope that he and Senator Rubio will take action on this matter as the state police investigate.”
Neither Sullivan nor Rubio communications director Alex Conant have responded to a request for comment on this matter.