A Wisconsin congressional hopeful landed in handcuffs after a profane outburst aimed at a father who was driving his young son to school.
Matthew Arndt, a Green Party candidate running in Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District, was arrested Thursday on a disorderly conduct charge with a hate crime enhancer after he cursed out an Israeli immigrant over an anti-Hamas bumper sticker, the New York Post reported.
The father told the Post the trouble began on a road in the Milwaukee suburb of Mequon, where Arndt pulled up beside him, rolled down his window and started swearing and flipping him off.
“I was driving my son to school this morning. Someone was driving behind me. I have an Israeli flag sticker with ‘F— Hamas,’ which, as far as I understand, is a terror organization that was declared so by the U.S.,” he said.
The father said he hung back to keep his distance, snapped a photo of the candidate’s license plate and followed him into a gas station with his camera rolling.
When the father asked whether Arndt had something to tell him, the candidate exploded.
“Yeah, you’re a f— piece of s—! You’re a f— traitor!” Arndt yelled in the video. “You’re a f— Israel f— traitor! F— you! F— Israel! Go f— yourself!”
Arndt then dared the man to share the footage. “You know what? Go post it on social media. I’m running for Congress in the 6th District,” he shouted.
Asked for his name, Arndt answered with “Free Palestine!” before identifying himself. “You’re a great guy. I’m definitely going to vote for you,” the father replied sarcastically.
The father told the Post that his son grew uneasy as the confrontation unfolded. “Even if he and I don’t hold the same opinion, that’s fine, but that was violent,” he said. “He was getting nervous in the back seat.”
He stressed that his sticker targeted Hamas alone. “I have nothing against the Palestinians. I definitely have an issue with an organization that wants the Jews dead,” he said.
Arndt, a certified public accountant and investment adviser, is campaigning on a platform that includes Medicare for All, breaking up monopolies and cutting U.S. ties with Israel. His campaign website, branded “End the Cartel,” also preaches religious tolerance and calls politics that pits Americans against each other “poison.”
Arndt did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
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