Rep. Matt Gaetz said Thursday he would be pressing charges against a woman who threw a beverage at him earlier this June.
“I had a circumstance just a few weeks ago where someone threw a drink at me leaving a town hall meeting. I am going to press charges. It’s really important to send a message that we as conservatives have a right to our views — just like anybody else. We’re not backing down,” the Florida Republican tweeted.
Mr. Gaetz said Wednesday night on Fox’s “Hannity” that the incident shows why Republicans are “winning elections and winning the culture war.”
“If there are no consequences, then maybe it is me getting hit with a drink one time, but what if it is a member of my staff? What if instead of a drink it is acid or urine, or something else like that? People that behave this way should face the consequences before a court,” he said.
Mr. Gaetz is the first documented American politician to be affected by “milkshaking,” a social media trend in the U.K. where right-wing politicians are pelted with dessert beverages.
One McDonald’s in the United Kingdom in May was temporarily ordered to cease selling milkshakes near a rally for politician Nigel Farage after officials were afraid the drinks would be used as weapons.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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