Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke gatecrashed a press conference by Governor Greg Abbott on the school shooting in Uvalde, with the town’s mayor calling him a “sick son of a b*tch” for making the conference all about him.
Abbott was speaking to reporters on Wednesday, discussing the shooting that occurred at Uvalde Elementary School the day before, where Salvador Romas, 18, entered the school. The current death count sits at 19 children and two teachers.
Beto, who is set to run against Abbott for Texas Governor in the midterms, decided to interrupt the press conference.
“Governor I have to say something. The time to stop this was after Santa Fe High School… It was after El Paso,” Beto said. “The next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing. You are offering us nothing. You said this is not predictable. This is totally predictable when you choose not do anything… I’m standing up for the children of this state to stop this from happening again.”
Confused members of the media at first assumed that Beto was simply another reporter, who was quickly shouted down by Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin. “Sir, you need to get his ass out of here, this isn’t the place,” McLaughlin said to security, before turning to Beto and declaring him to be totally “out of line,” instructing him to leave.
“I can’t believe that you’re a sick son of a b*tch who would come to a [press conference] like this to make it a political issue,” McLaughlin continued. “This is on you, until you change…” Beto continued, before being interrupted by McLaughlin again. “It’s on assh*les like you!” McLaughlin replied. “Why don’t you get out of here!”
BREAKING: Beto O'Rourke just disrupted Greg Abbott's press conference on the school shooting in Texas.
A Sheriff calls him a "sick son of a bitch." pic.twitter.com/KieQw9vITn
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 25, 2022
Beto proceeded to leave the press conference, and spoke to reporters outside on his thoughts on the shooting. He continued to blame Governor Greg Abbott for doing nothing to stop mass shootings in the state.
“In fact, the only thing he did was make it easier to buy a gun… to make it easier to carry a gun in public,” Beto said. “No training, no vetting whatsoever. He talked about that this was evil. The only thing evil is what he continues to do to the people of this state… His only interest is the gun lobby.”
He told reporters that he was there to “stand up for the people of Texas,” and to “shock the conscious [sic] of this state into doing something.”
Beto is now talking to a large press gaggle after he got escorted out of the auditorium for shouting down Greg Abbott while Abbott was trying to give an update on yesterday's school shooting pic.twitter.com/XmSmWebmtp
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) May 25, 2022
Beto faced backlash online for interrupting the conference, with conservative commentator Katie Pavlich saying that she was “not shocked” that Beto would “crash a press conference in the aftermath of horrific murders as a publicity stunt for himself.”
One Democrat compared O’Rourke to “Tank Man” from the Tiananmen Square Massacre in China, prompting more backlash.
Deleted by a member of Congress pic.twitter.com/aNfpOf3hCA
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 25, 2022
Who else is completely not shocked Robert Francis O'Rourke would crash a press conference in the aftermath of horrific murders as a publicity stunt for himself. Absolutely despicable.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) May 25, 2022
Beto O'Rourke really saw a tragedy and thought how he could make it all about himself
— WEF Detainee Poso (@JackPosobiec) May 25, 2022
Beto O’Rourke is a disgusting POS.
Kudos to Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin for telling him to leave. https://t.co/qChFHssY4J
— Alex Bruesewitz (@alexbruesewitz) May 25, 2022
