Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar defended a shop owner who made a donation to the Freedom Convoy in Canada, saying journalists should not be reporting on and putting the names out there of people who made “insignificant” donations.
Omar sent out a tweet in response to an editor at the Ottawa Citizen/Sun who shared a report about Stella Luna Gelato Cafe in Ottawa, which had to close down Tuesday after receiving continued threats, the outlet reported. The owner Tammy Giuliani’s name was on the list of GiveSendGo donors to the Freedom Convoy which was made public after a Sunday hacking.
The hackers leaked the data, which included names, email addresses and more. Omar said she fails to see why reporting on the people who made these donations only makes them subject to harassment. (RELATED: Canadian PM Says Truckers Protesting COVID-19 Mandates Will Get Criminal Records)
“I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such a insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed,” Omar said in the tweet.
“It’s unconscionable and journalists need to do better,” she added. (RELATED: Canada Puts Crowd Funding Platforms Under ‘Terrorist Funding’ Law Amid Efforts To Stop Trucker ‘Freedom Convoy’)
I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such a insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed. It’s unconscionable and journalists need to do better. https://t.co/oF7WIoS1jp
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 16, 2022
The journalist who posted the article that Omar responded to faced a slew of criticism after tweeting out the story.