New York Republican Rep. Brandon Williams threatened a staffer at a holiday party over alleged comments made about his family, a video posted to Twitter showed.
A 23-second video posted by Syracuse University student reporter Luke Radel displayed Williams confronting former chief of staff Michael Gordon, identified by Syracuse.com, at a lobbying firm’s holiday party in Washington D.C.
The video, which was taken by former staffer Ryan Sweeney, begins by displaying a shocked look on Gordon’s face claiming that he hadn’t “done anything,” as Williams threatened the former chief of staff about messing with his family. (RELATED: ‘I Rip Your Head Off’: Montana Man Receives 2.5 Years For Threatening To Kill Sen. Jon Tester)
“I haven’t done anything,” Gordon stated.
“Everything! You f*ck with my family, I’ll end every relationship that you have. Every single friend,” Williams shouted while pointing his finger in Gordon’s face.
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: @Brandon4ny22 shouts at and threatens his former campaign manager and chief of staff at a holiday charity event in DC. @CitrusTVNews 🚨@RepWilliams: “You F*CK with my family, I’ll end every relationship that you have!” #NY22 pic.twitter.com/VV6SYWevNp
— Luke Radel (@lukeradel) December 1, 2023
Gordon can be seen attempting to defend himself by trying to state that he “didn’t do” anything multiple times, however, Williams cut him off, continuing to question him.
“Do you understand me? You think I don’t know?” Williams questioned.
An off-camera person is then heard stating, “Excuse me, hello” – diverting Williams’s attention. “Hey, why don’t you get the police in?” Williams questioned her before he could be seen swatting at the camera, allegedly knocking it out of Sweeney’s hand. (RELATED: Man Sentenced To Prison For Threatening MTG)
Gordon claimed that he and Sweeney were talking with another acquaintance near a food station when he reportedly saw Williams approach him. “I look up and he’s shoving people out of the way and making a beeline towards me,” Gordon told Syracuse.com.
The former chief of staff continued to allege that he had felt threatened by the New York representative, who claimed that he walked away once Williams swatted the camera to avoid any further escalation, the outlet reported.
“It was very traumatic,” Gordon told Syracuse.com. “I thought he was going to take a swing at me.”
Williams’ Deputy Chief Taylor Weyeneth defended the representative’s actions in a tweet following the release of the video claiming that there was context “omitted” from the video. Wyeneth also alleged that one of the staffers had “physically shoved” Williams, emphasizing that it’s a “lesson to all” to “never go after” Williams’ family.
Here is what was omitted from the video:
What you are seeing is two former staffers who were fired by the Congressman earlier this year. Both individuals, the one being confronted by the Congressman and the one filming, made rude comments about the female members of the… https://t.co/nmDGiNQcwX
— Taylor Weyeneth (@TaylorWeyeneth) December 1, 2023
Williams and his wife, Stefanie, have since also defended the confrontation, stating that he approached the two former staffers allegedly due to “incredibly vile things” stated about his wife and daughter, according to Semafor.
“There are some things that have been said and I went up and said that’s not okay,” Williams told Semafor. Williams also claimed that he was the one to walk away from the confrontation after one of the two staffers had allegedly “put his hands” and “chest against” him.
Stephanie had noted that she also felt “violated” by the whole ordeal, highlighting that the two staffers had previously lived in their home for over five months, Semafor reported.
It is unclear exactly what comments were allegedly made by Gordon and Sweeney to upset the congressman and his family.