Buttigieg Defends Harassment of Kavanaugh at Restaurant

On Fox News Sunday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declared it was perfectly appropriate for demonstrators to protest outside a restaurant where Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was dining.

Buttigieg said, “You’re never going to be free from criticism or peaceful protests, people exercising their First Amendment rights, and that That’s what happened in this case. Remember, the justice never even came into contact with these protesters, reportedly didn’t see or hear them. And these protesters are upset because a right, an important right that the majority of Americans support, was taken away.”

He added, “Not only the right to choose, by the way, but this justice was part of the process of stripping away the right to privacy. Since I’ve been alive, settled case law in the United States has been that the Constitution protected the right to privacy, and that has now been thrown out the window by justices, including Justice Kavanaugh, who, as I recall, swore up and down in front of God and everyone including the United States Congress that they were going to leave settled case law alone. So yes, people are upset. They’re going to exercise their First Amendment rights.”

The Fox anchor asked, “But as a high-profile public figure, sir, are you comfortable with protesters protesting when you and your husband go to dinner at a restaurant?”

Buttigieg said, “Protesting peacefully outside in a public space? Sure. Look, I can’t even tell you the number of spaces, venues, and scenarios where I’ve been protested. And the bottom line is this. Any public figure should always — always — be free from violence, intimidation, and harassment. But should never be free from criticism or people exercising their First Amendment rights.”

The reality is that these “peaceful protesters” were out to harass and intimidate Kavanaugh not long after had been targeted by a would-be assassin. The message the Left wants to send through such “peaceful protests” is that their political opponents can expect to be hounded wherever they go: restaurants, their homes – nowhere is safe, and they must live in perpetual fear for their lives.