He Tweeted Names of Trump Donors, to Outrage

Republicans admonish Joaquin Castro
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2019 10:45 AM CDT
Tweet Listing Texas Trump Donors Sparks a Backlash
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., right, arrive before former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies in front of a House Intelligence Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 24, 2019.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

It's only Wednesday, and it's already been quite the week for political Twitter brouhahas. On Monday evening Joaquin Castro—brother of presidential hopeful Julian Castro and a Texas representative himself—tweeted a list of 44 San Antonians who, per publicly available records, have given the maximum donation to the Trump campaign in 2019. "Sad to see," the Democrat wrote, tweeting a graphic that lists the 44 names alongside their employers. "Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as 'invaders,'" he wrote. For context, the Washington Post reports Castro's district covers those on the list. The latest on the backlash and his response:

  • Politico reports the graphic was sourced from a Democratic activist group. Castro tweeted it from his @Castro4Congress campaign account, which currently has 32,000 followers.
  • Some big Republican names in the House fired back. Among them, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who tweeted: "Targeting and harassing Americans because of their political beliefs is shameful and dangerous. What happened to 'when they go low, we go high?' Or does that no longer matter when your brother is polling at 1%? Americans deserve better."

  • Other Republicans suggested the tweet amounted to a sort of hit list. Trump 2020 communications chief Tim Murtaugh tweeted that Castro "is inviting harassment of these private citizens. At worst, he's encouraging violence. ... He's listing people and their employers. This is a target list."
  • Donald Trump Jr. went further on an appearance with Fox & Friends. Mediaite quotes him as saying, "I've seen, what's going on with the Joaquin Castro craziness, putting out a list. That list screams like the Dayton, Ohio, shooter's list, right? ... That was the same thing that the Dayton, Ohio, shooter did and people should be fed up with this nonsense."
  • Castro pushed back at Murtaugh's characterization in a two-part tweet, writing that the graphic has "no addresses or phone #, etc. It's publicly reported info printed in newspapers routinely from the @nyt to the @dcexaminer. You know that. ... 2nd, what I said is true — your campaign has stoked fear of brown-skinned immigrants. Those contributions hv been used to pay for over 2K @Facebook ads declaring an invasion by Hispanics. That is truly dangerous for millions. Will you commit not to run another ad like that?"
  • Fox News reports the Trump campaign has complained about Castro's tweet to Twitter, saying it's in violation of the platform's terms, which state a user can't "engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so."
  • In his original tweet, Castro called out a few of the business leaders on the list, among them "the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ." The San Antonio Express-News reports the eatery has since become a trending topic on Twitter and notes Texas' Republican governor, Greg Abbott, tweeted photos of the restaurant and its food Tuesday night, writing, "Perfect night for @BillMillerBarBQ."
(More Joaquin Castro stories.)

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