File this one under “you can’t make this stuff up.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) sparked outrage and backlash among Republicans after doxxing private citizens in his Congressional district who made the maximum donation to President Trump’s reelection campaign. Castro then proceeded to make the results public on his Twitter feed, which instantly made the people on the list targets for harassment and violence.
A brief recap, via Fox News:
But the Texas congressman’s original tweet included a list of San Antonio residents who had donated large amounts to the Trump campaign, along with the names of their employers. It is unclear who actually compiled the list.
“Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump,” Castro tweeted, along with the Twitter handles of several owners of local businesses who apparently donated to Trump. “Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’”
The list — titled “WHO’S FUNDING TRUMP?” — had 44 names of donors and their employers.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA-1) and many other Congressional Republicans have strongly condemned Castro’s actions, but Castro has defended himself by saying in so many words that the people who are “funding white supremacy” need to be outed.
Castro is the Chairman of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus as well as his brother Julián Castro‘s 2020 presidential campaign. Julián Castro has so far only issued a vague statement of support for his brother, and to date has not specifically been asked by any national media outlet where he stands on Joaquin Castro’s actions.
In an ironic twist, it was revealed earlier this week that Joaquin Castro once expressed praise for a Texas law aimed at preventing the cyberbulling of minors:
👀
Here's @JoaquinCastrotx supporting a "cyber bullying" law in TX to protect minors. "It will help prevent harassment…" https://t.co/yVrQACC5Yq
— jerylbier (@JerylBier) August 7, 2019
Thanks @Menendez4Texas for passing "David's Law" to combat cyber bullying in TX. It will help prevent harassment and save lives. #DavidsLaw https://t.co/nTmLzLnrZ8
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) May 27, 2017
David’s Law, which was passed in response to the efforts of a mother who lost her young son to suicide after he was cyberbullied, went into effect in September 2017. Read more about what the law does here.
Earlier this week, it was discovered that several of the donors on Castro’s list once contributed to the past political campaigns of both the Castro brothers, leading some to speculate that Castro published the names of Trump donors with revenge motivations in mind.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2) slammed Castro in a Fox News Radio interview done with Townhall‘s Guy Benson on Thursday, saying “this is fascism.” Crenshaw also suggested that a Congressional censure be on the table for consideration.
————-
— Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter. –
Join the conversation as a VIP Member