A liberal activist was charged for disorderly conduct after appearing to threaten the daughter of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey during a recent town hall.
During a Thursday-night town hall in Bethlehem, Pa., Simon Radecki asked Toomey an uncomfortable and possibly “threatening” question.
“We’ve been here for a while. You probably haven’t seen the news. Can you confirm whether or not your daughter Bridget has been kidnapped?” Radecki asked.
The initial question was followed by a long, awkward pause until Radecki finally added, “The reason I ask is because that’s the reality of families that suffer deportation … ”
Toomey called the question “ridiculous” and Radecki was removed by police and later charged with disorderly conduct and disrupting a public meeting.
Radecki’s LinkedIn profile reveals that he worked on Sen. Al Franken’s campaign in 2014 and has done field organizing for gun control and LGBTQ rights campaigns.
The CEO of PBS39, who was broadcasting the meeting and managed to cut off the question before it was televised, said he found the question to be a threat.
“If you were in the room, it was one of the scariest things that I have ever been a part of,” said Tim Fallon. “All I was processing was ‘Oh, my God, what has happened?’ … It was perceived as a threat by myself [and] folks I have had interactions with.”
“Asking questions that are based upon kidnapping a child is not only reprehensible, but it is inherently threatening,” said Steve Kelly, a spokesman for Sen. Toomey.
The uncomfortable moment can be watched below, but the question cannot be heard because PBS39 redacted the sound prior to the live broadcast.
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