Videos posted to social media on Tuesday evening appear to show Utah Senator Mitt Romney being harassed by supporters of President Donald Trump as he takes a flight from Salt Lake City to Washington D.C.
Romney is among the Republican Senators who have rejected an effort to oppose certification of Joe Biden’s presidency this week when Congress meets to officially count the electoral college votes.
He is seen in one video being confronted by a woman as he waits for his flight. She demands to know why Romney is not supporting Donald Trump with the president’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
Romney cannot be seen in the second video, which went viral on Tuesday night, and claimed to show maskless Trump fans screaming ‘traitor’ at the senator while on the plane.
Thousands of Trump loyalists are flying to Washington D.C. to attend a massive ‘Stop the Steal’ rally scheduled for Wednesday.
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Video circulating on social media on Tuesday evening appears to show Utah Senator Mitt Romney being harassed by supporters of President Donald Trump as he takes a flight from Salt Lake City to Washington D.C. The first video shows him being approached by the gate
The second video claims to show Trump fans chanting at Romney that he is a ‘traitor’
In the first video posted to Twitter, a woman who says she is a Republican Utah voter, approaches 73-year-old Romney as he waits by the gate for his flight.
He immediately asks her to put her mask on as it is required by law in the airport.
‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ she answers back. ‘I’m standing six feet away. You know what I’m going to go ahead and do it because I want to have a chat with you.’
‘Why aren’t you supporting President Trump? You’re not supporting him,’ the woman continues.
‘I do support President Trump. I’m sorry, I do agree with many of the things he’s for and I support him, Romney answers.
At the start of the video, Romney asks the Trump supporter to put her mask on
Romney eventually tries to walk away as the woman continuously questions him
The woman remains unhappy, however, and continues to push Romney on whether he will be supporting Trump regarding ‘fraudulent votes’.
‘No, I’m not,’ the senator answers. ‘It’s a long story but it’s a constitutional process and the constitution is clear. I will follow the constitution and I will explain all that when we meet in congress this week.’
She continues to push Romney about not supporting Trump in the election and tells him: ‘You were voted in as a conservative to represent the conservative constituents. Period.’
‘Actually, that’s not how the constitution works,’ Romney fires back as he begins to pack up his laptop to try and walk away.
‘It is you’re voted in to represent us, you work for us. Am I wrong?’ the woman then questions.
A woman without a mask is seen in the second video shouting at another passenger who tried to defend Romney after a group of Trump supporters chanted that he is a failure
A Twitter user claimed she was on the flight with Romney and was involved in the chant
‘I work for the people of Utah,’ Romney says, to which she responds, ‘Exactly and I am from Utah. There’s a lot of people who didn’t vote for you.’
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t even voted in legally,’ the woman adds. ‘You’re a joke, an absolute joke, it’s a disgusting shame.’
The second video shared claims that it was taken on the plane as Romney flew to D.C. on Tuesday evening.
‘Let him know what we think,’ a woman screams before a group of Trump supporters with their masks pulled down chant ‘traitor’ and ‘traitor Mitt’ from their seats.
Romney is among the Republican Senators who have rejected an effort to oppose certification of Joe Biden’s presidency this week when Congress meets to officially count the electoral college votes
Romney is believed to be sitting further ahead in the plane, but he cannot be seen as the Trump fans record the incident.
It is not known if the same woman who approached him in the airport was on the flight.
‘Resign Mitt. We want to know your connection to Burisma and Joe Biden, Mitt Romney,’ one woman shouts.
The senator was defended by another woman who shouted: ‘We love you Mitt Romney you’re great, you’re doing awesome. I’m one of your constituents and I think you’re doing wonderful.’
‘You’re one of maybe a million who think opposite of you,’ a Trump fan tells her.
One woman later tweeted about the incident alleging: ‘Flew into DC with coward @MittRomney hiding with two masks, glasses and a bubble helmet. Don’t worry- we let him know what we thought about him #TRAITOR.’
Romney on Saturday hit out at Trump and his claims that there was fraud in the presidential election as a ‘false rumor’.
He said attempts by some Republicans to stand against the election result and Joe Biden’s win ‘dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.’
In a statement released on Saturday night, Romney described the move as an ‘egregious ploy that ‘dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic’
He added his name to another bipartisan group of ten senators who pushed back against planned GOP efforts to challenge President-elect Biden’s win on Sunday
Romney claimed that the ‘egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some,’ adding, ‘the congressional power to reject electors is reserved for the most extreme and unusual circumstances. These are far from it.’
Romney was also among a bipartisan group of ten senators – including four Republicans – who pushed back against planned GOP efforts to challenge President-elect Biden’s win on Sunday.
A group of Senate Republicans, led by Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, say they plan to object to the election results when Congress meets on Wednesday to tally Biden´s 306-232 Electoral College victory over Trump.
Both men have been touted as future leaders of the GOP, and may be eyeing a run for the White House in 2024.
Romney said he believed the senators’ ‘ambition had eclipsed principle’.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather at a rally at Freedom Plaza on Tuesday night ahead of the main ‘Stop the Steal’ rally scheduled for the following day
People wave flags including a ”Q” flag as supporters of President Donald Trump gather in Freedom Plaza on Tuesday night ahead of the certification of Joe Biden’s win
Authoring a statement urging Congress to certify the election results, Romney, as well as Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said, ‘it is time to move forward.’
‘The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted,’ the group’s letter read in part.
‘At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans’ confidence in the already determined election results.’
Trump allies Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, both also spoke out Sunday, insisting attempts to stop the certification of the Electoral College ‘will go nowhere’.
The process will unfold Wednesday on Capitol Hill, but the final outcome is not in doubt.
The results will eventually be certified for Biden, who will be sworn in as the nation´s 46th president two weeks later.