White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday called for more civilized and respectful political debate regarding her dismissal from a Virginia restaurant over the weekend.
Sanders at the start of Monday’s press briefing mentioned the incident, saying she and her husband “politely left” The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia after they refused to serve her because she works for President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We are allowed to disagree but we should be able to do so freely and without fear of harm,” she said. “And this goes for all people regardless of politics.”
“Healthy debate on ideas and political philosophy is important, but the calls for harassment and push for any Trump supporter to avoid the public is unacceptable,” she said.
“America is a great country and our ability to find solutions despite those disagreements is what makes us unique,” she added before launching into a list of President Trump’s accomplishments.
According to The Hill, Stephanie Wilkinson, The Red Hen’s co-owner, said Sanders’s support of the Trump administration’s policies banning transgender people from the military and separating families at the border was at the heart of her decision.
Sanders first confirmed the incident on her government Twitter account, writing that the manager’s actions “say far more about her than about me.”
On Monday she said that she used her official account because she was responding to “news of the day.”
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about civility in politics and the treatment of Trump administration officials.
Some Democrats argued the restaurant should have served Sanders. However, Representative Maxine Walters added to the tensions by encouraging supporters to confront Trump administration officials in public places.
The President also joined on the controversy, attacking Waters as “low IQ” and using his personal account to say that the Red Hen is dirty and requires a paint job.
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