October 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A protester threw a handful of small Russian flags at President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the president arrived at the Capitol to discuss tax reform with Republican senators over their weekly policy lunch.
October 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A protester threw a handful of small Russian flags at President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the president arrived at the Capitol to discuss tax reform with Republican senators over their weekly policy lunch.
“Trump is treason!” the protester, identified as Ryan Clayton, yelled several times before being escorted out by security.
Video: Protester posing as journalist throws papers at Trump as he arrives for Senate GOP lunch yelling "Trump is treason!" pic.twitter.com/8dewfQrHVI
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) October 24, 2017
Trump, walking alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), ignored the disruption as the flags fluttered to the ground several feet away from him in a hallway.
Clayton, a liberal activist who leads the group Americans Take Action, was in the press area as Trump walked by. It is unclear whether he had a legitimate press credential or a temporary pass to tour the Capitol.
A spokesman for the U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately return a request for comment on whether Clayton will face any charges.
Americans Take Action describes itself as a “populist network formed to restore free and fair elections in America” whose “top priority is resisting the Trump regime.”
Clayton pulled a similar stunt earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference near Washington, where he distributed 1,000 Russian flags to audience members ahead of Trump’s speech there.
In an op-ed published by HuffPost, Clayton said he distributed flags at CPAC to “draw attention to the Russian interference in our most recent American election.” The meddling, he said, helped “to decide the outcome in favor of the Trump campaign.”
“Let’s be clear, Putin picked Trump because it’s good for Russia, not because he’s great for America,” he said.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
