Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) addressed her decision to give an intern a one-week suspension for shouting expletives at President Trump, saying that unlike the president, her intern “accepted responsibility” for her actions.
Even though Hassan said her intern “violated” her office’s standards, the Democratic senator also took the opportunity to bash Trump, saying that her intern took more accountability for her actions than Trump did throughout his presidency.
Hassan said that while her office has suspended the intern and revoked her congressional ID badge, her intern’s behavior is not on par “with the president’s destructive and decisive actions.”
“I think it is really important to understand that this behavior shouldn’t be equated with the president’s destructive and divisive actions, like ripping health care away from people by failing to protect pre-existing conditions,” stripping down Obamacare, and “separating children from their parents at our southern border,” Hassan said in a statement.
Shortly before Trump’s entourage walked into the Capitol last Tuesday, the intern shouted “Mr. President, fuck you!” at Trump as he entered House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) office.
Congressional authorities investigated the intern following her outburst to determine whether she was a threat, and then took no further action.
The intern will remain in her position until her internship ends in August, but she will be limited to working out of Hassan’s third-floor office in the Hart Senate Building and will lose her access to the Capitol Rotunda.
Hassan’s spokesman, Aaron Jacobs, confirmed Tuesday that the office suspended the intern:
We are aware of the situation and have taken disciplinary action, including a one-week suspension and revoking her Congressional intern ID badge (thereby restricting her access to the Capitol), in response to her breach of office policies regarding respectful and appropriate conduct. We also facilitated contact with Capitol Police.
Some congressional Democrats have taken the opportunity to encourage members of the public to harass the Trump administration.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said Saturday she has “no sympathy” for Trump administration officials who are harassed at restaurants, department stores, and gas stations, and she urged the public to “resist” Trump.
The California Democrat’s comments have prompted the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch to call for an ethics investigation into her conduct.
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