Callers have been threatening and harassing Trump donors who appeared on a list published by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), including one caller who told a businessman that they hoped his company will fold.
Castro published the list on Twitter this week, accusing the 44 donors of “fueling a campaign hate.”
“I don’t want anybody harassed,” Castro said.
“But they will be because you put their names in public,” host Willie Geist told the lawmaker.
“That was not my intention,” Castro insisted.
“But that’s what will happen,” Geist responded.
Mark Hanrahan, one of the donors and CEO of MidAmerican Aerospace, called what Castro did “galling” but said he hadn’t been harassed other than some “unkind” emails.
“There was a certain amount of skittishness, but it was mostly the millennial crowd. I work with a bunch of 20-, 30-year-olds and some of them wanted to lock the front door. I thought that was kind of ridiculous,” he said.
Another, Donald Kuyrkendall, president of a San Antonio commercial real estate company, wondered about Castro’s intentions.
“Were his intentions to incite people to picket Bill Miller’s barbecue or to come to Don Kuyrkendall’s house, you know, assault my wife, make nasty comments?” Kuyrkendall said. “I’m just hopeful that none of this gets serious and that my grandchildren and children will be not intimidated by this stuff.”
“I was also on a list of people that gave to Castro and if he dislikes me enough that he wants to put my name out there against Trump, I’m not going to give money to him,” Harwell said. “Obviously Castro feels pretty strongly against me.”
“I think some of the Democratic rhetoric is more hateful than some of Trump’s rhetoric,” he added. “I think the San Antonio community needs to take a real deep look at what Castro is doing. Why is he doing this?”