While the mainstream corporate media breathlessly reports “threats” to election workers, the same cannot be said when a Republican leader is actually attacked by a deranged left-wing extremist. Missouri’s top election official was physically confronted by an agitator last week.
And the only sound to be heard is crickets from the media.
Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was entering an event conducted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The gathering was held at a business in Jefferson City after Israeli Consul General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky spoke to the state General Assembly.
Hordes of anti-Israel protesters converged on the scene, and video footage showed the danger Ashcroft suddenly found himself in.
As he attempted to open the door, the secretary of state was physically confronted by some of the pro-Hamas demonstrators. Ashcroft recalled not being alarmed by the yelling and commotion, but the tenor suddenly changed when he reached for the door handle.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft was surrounded by protesters when he attempted to enter a private event in support of Israel held in downtown Jefferson City. Access https://t.co/NgiW6QNDmZ for subscriber-exclusive coverage. #JCMO #MidMo
— Jefferson City News Tribune (@NewsTribune) February 8, 2024
Video apparently showed one protester grabbing the GOP official as he told him he was about to “throw me to the ground.”
Ashcroft told reporters that he did not feel it was the best idea to go to the ground in the midst of an increasingly violent demonstration. Instead, “I threw him over my hip and that’s when the police came in and arrested him.”
According to local media, 56-year-old Christopher Henry of St. Louis was taken into custody. Also arrested was 20-year-old demonstrator Ainslee Harkins, and both have since been released from jail.
As of Wednesday afternoon charges had not been filed against either anti-Israel protester. Ashcroft’s office said that status may change later this week when he returns to the state capital.
So, where is the mainstream media in this case?
There are numerous reports of election workers “feeling” threatened by those who seek to ensure transparency in the voting process. One thing 2020 proved is that there is certainly room for misdeeds by those charged with ensuring election security.
But in Missouri, there is an actual case of an attack on a public official by at least one member of a mob. This should be near the top of the news cycle, but the victim was a Republican.
