EXCLUSIVE: A disruption over the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts turned physical after protesters crashed an event in a red New York district, prompting a Republican lawmaker to raise concerns over Democratic efforts to “organize protests” in GOP districts.
Protesters disrupted a private luncheon hosted by the Rockland Business Association on Thursday, targeting one of the speakers, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., over Republican efforts to cut federal spending.
A video obtained by Fox News Digital shows the protesters, who had bought tickets to the event, screaming, “Lawless Lawler” while holding up a sign that read, “Elon’s Puppet” in an apparent reference to cost-cutting efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The disruption quickly turned physical as the protesters wrestled with the event attendees, who were trying to put an end to the disruption.
Lawler’s team, responding to the protest, pointed to comments by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., where he said that Democrats were sending people to Republican districts to oppose their policies and make them “face the consequences.”
“We are mobilizing in New York. We have people going to the Republican districts and going after these Republicans who are voting for this and forcing them to either change their vote or face the consequences,” Schumer said during a recent interview with PBS. “This is a long, relentless fight that we fight every day. And I am confident that we will bring Trump’s popularity, numbers and strength down if we keep at it, and keep at it, and keep at it.”
Ciro Riccardi, communications director for Lawler, told Fox News Digital, “It’s outrageous that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is inciting far-left activists to harass and intimidate Republican members of Congress.”
“Yesterday, he appeared on PBS and declared: ‘We are mobilizing in NY. We have people going to the Republican districts, going after Republicans who vote for this & forcing them to change their vote or face consequences.’ Earlier that day, a bipartisan Rockland Business Association luncheon was violently disrupted by protesters, including known provocateur Walter Masterson from Brooklyn,” Riccardi said in a statement.
“They assaulted multiple seniors in the process of reading from scripted remarks on their phones. Are these the kinds of ‘consequences’ Schumer is endorsing?” Riccardi told Fox.
Lawler, in a repost of Schumer’s interview on X, said that “in other words, @SenSchumer admits that he is coordinating with far-left activists and groups like Indivisible to organize protests and gaslight folks.”
The protest is one of several disruptions at congressional events this week.
A town hall hosted by Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., was disrupted by protesters who heckled for over an hour during the congressman’s event.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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