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Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), the twin brother of Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro and the chairman of that failing campaign, doxxed a number of Trump donors on Monday.
Frighteningly, the leftist congressman targeted residents of his own district in an apparent attempt to frighten them into not supporting Trump.
Castro not only named donors but also their employers, a calculated move that endangers even more people than those he listed.
Castro: Tough, It’s Public 411
Castro, who represents the Lone Star State’s 20th district around west San Antonio, divulged the names on Twitter, the go-to platform for leftists who seek to intimidate and sometimes openly threaten their enemies, as did former CNN host Reza Aslan, who called for the extermination of Trump supporters on Sunday.
And doxxing is one of the tactics the hard Left uses on Twitter to visit opprobrium and possibly, violence, upon the targets.
“Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump,” the angry leftist tweeted, naming a number of prominent businessmen and businesswomen.
“Their contributions,” he lied, “are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’”
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The “backlash,” to use the media cliché, was swift.
Representative Chip Roy, a Republican who represents adjoining Texas 21, fired back his support for the Americans Castro attacked:
Hey San Antonians… I got your back. I will fight for freedom for you, including making sure you are not doxxed by public officials. Let’s reclaim America from the clutches of hopelessly political leftists who prefer sanctuary & tent cities to strong communities.
Senator Ted Cruz tweeted likewise:
EVERYONE needs to tone the hateful partisan rhetoric way down. This is WRONG & Castro should retract it. In our constitutional Republic, the People rightly hold their representatives accountable; elected representatives should not be vilifying & doxxing their own constituents.
Tim Murtaugh, the director of communications for Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign, was none too happy either. “How low have Dems sunk?” his tweet began.
This is Joaquin Castro, Congressman & chair of his brother’s campaign.
Naming private citizens & their employers, targeting them for political views and exercising 1st Amendment rights.
Should delete & apologize. Castro campaign should disavow.
But beyond all that, Murtaugh rightly said, Castro has painted a target on the back of every American on the list. “At the very least @Castro4Congress is inviting harassment of these private citizens,” Murtaugh wrote.
At worst, he’s encouraging violence.
Will media concerned about “rhetoric” care about this?
He’s listing people and their employers.
This is a target list.
“This naming of private citizens and their employers is reckless and irresponsible,” he told the Washington Post.
He is endangering the safety of people he is supposed to be representing. No one should be targeted for exercising their First Amendment rights or for their political beliefs. He should delete the tweet, apologize, and his brother’s campaign should disavow it.”
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, nearly murdered in 2017 at the charity baseball game he and his colleagues play every year, understands the danger of what Castro did. “People should not be personally targeted for their political views,” he tweeted. “This isn’t a game. It’s dangerous, and lives are at stake. I know this firsthand.”
The man who tried to murder Scalise supported Soviet apologist Bernie Sanders and would likely have voted for Castro if he lived in his district. He’s exactly the type of individual Republicans are worried that Castro might inspire.
.@realDonaldTrump cannot play the blame game.
The El Paso terrorist manifesto included language that is eerily similar to the language the President has used to dehumanize and demonize Hispanic immigrants in this country.
That violence just spilled over.
Castro also thinks that naming names is acceptable because the names are public anyway. Answering McCarthy yesterday, Castro tweeted that “no one was targeted or harassed in my post. You know that. All that info is routinely published.”
You’re trying to distract from the racism that has overtaken the GOP and the fact that President Trump spends donor money on thousands of ads about Hispanics “invading” America.
Donald Trump has put a target on the back of millions. And you’re too cowardly or agreeable to say anything about it.
How about I stop mentioning Trump’s public campaign donors and he stops using their money for ads that fuel hate.
Castro’s donors can be found at the website of the Federal Election Commission by searching under Castro for Congress.
Castro’s efforts for his brother aren’t bearing much fruit. Presidential aspirant Julián Castro, who thinks men can get pregnant and have abortions, is polling at about 1.2 percent, 30.8 percent behind leader Joe Biden.
Photo: AP Images