A group of leftist protestors recently jostled Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft as he tried to enter a pro-Israel forum. Despite this, the media has refused to report on the incident, according to the Federalist.
— Jay Ashcroft (@JayAshcroftMO) February 14, 2024
On Feb. 6, 2024, Ashcroft was attempting to enter a venue hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which took place at a local business in Jefferson City, Missouri.
KOMU, a local NBC News affiliate, reported that anti-Israel demonstrators gathered around the venue and blocked traffic in the area before Ashcroft arrived. Even after being asked by authorities to “clear the roadway,” the protestors “began blocking access to several local businesses, including the private event.”
One of the protestors, 20-year-old Ainslee Harkins, was arrested for trespassing after she “allegedly entered the private event and would not leave.”
Surveillance footage of the incident shows Ashcroft walking past the protestors to arrive at the venue. Upon reaching the entrance to the building, several leftist demonstrators accosted the Missouri secretary of state while he tried to open the door.
While speaking to the Federalist, Ashcroft said, “There’s a lot of yelling and screaming but as I was just walking along the sidewalk, it was fine until I turned left to actually head into the doorway. That’s when they … collapsed around me and [started] shoving me and pushing me.”
Despite being pushed by the leftist protestors, Ashcroft continued to make his way into the building. While reaching for the door handle, he said one of the demonstrators, seen in video footage grabbing the Missouri official, told him he was going to “throw me to the ground.”
“I just didn’t think it was good to go to the ground in this mass of Hamas supporters, so I threw him over my hip and that’s when the police came in and arrested him,” Ashcroft said.
The man who threatened Ashcroft was identified as 56-year-old Christopher Henry from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been arrested in the matter.
The Federalist pointed out that the recent incident in Missouri has been ignored by leftist mainstream media outlets, such as the New York Times.
Considering the lack of coverage over the events in Missouri, Ashcroft said the media “really don’t care about election workers.”
