Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tx.) is under fire for posting the names of President Donald Trump’s donors on Twitter.
Castro, who is the brother of presidential candidate Julián Castro, used his Twitter account to publish the names of 44 Texas residents–and their businesses–who donated $2,700 or more to the Trump reelection campaign, according to the Hill.
“Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders’,” Castro tweeted, along with the list of names. Many, including Castro, have blamed the Trump’s rhetoric on immigration for the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, which has claimed the lives of 22 people.
Sad to see so many San Antonians as 2019 maximum donors to Donald Trump — the owner of @BillMillerBarBQ, owner of the @HistoricPearl, realtor Phyllis Browning, etc.
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) August 6, 2019
Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’ pic.twitter.com/YT85IBF19u
Castro later defended his decision to post the list.
“The graphic didn’t contain “private or personal info — no addresses or phone #, etc,” he wrote. “It’s publicly reported info printed in newspapers routinely from the @nyt to the @dcexaminer. You know that.”
First, the Indivisble@group’s graphic I shared doesn’t have private or personal info — no addresses or phone #, etc. It’s publicly reported info printed in newspapers routinely from the @nyt to the @dcexaminer. You know that. 1/ https://t.co/t6cdNckM1a
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) August 6, 2019
The backlash to Castro’s initial tweet was immediate. Some are calling on Twitter to take action against Castro, claiming that he violated the platform’s private information policy, which prohibits doxing.
“It’s not just conservatives who know that what Joaquin Castro did is dangerous, but anyone who follows politics. It’s irresponsible and should be condemned,” Zach Parkinson tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realPolitiDiva/status/1158852580606394368
https://twitter.com/1ManPlusGod/status/1158858855398424576
People should not be personally targeted for their political views. Period. This isn’t a game. It’s dangerous, and lives are at stake. I know this firsthand. https://t.co/PbxUMIOhae
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) August 6, 2019
At the very least @Castro4Congress is inviting harassment of these private citizens. At worst, he’s encouraging violence.
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) August 6, 2019
Will media concerned about “rhetoric” care about this?
He’s listing people and their employers.
This is a target list. pic.twitter.com/5JnNe7RxYb
It's not just conservatives who know that what Joaquin Castro did is dangerous, but anyone who follows politics. It's irresponsible and should be condemned. pic.twitter.com/EIKzl1D84N
— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) August 6, 2019
Yet, others are defending him and pointing out that the information is already public. Candidates are required to publicly publish the names of donors who contribute more than $200 or more in the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, which is accessible online.
“It’s public records you dummies. Anyone can see it,” one user wrote.
https://twitter.com/IsisReba/status/1158858563751686149
Republicans who are faux outraged over Joaquin Castro tweeting a list of publicly available names of people who donated the federal maximum to Trump should remember that Senator Marsha Blackburn released an unredacted list of fetal tissue researchers including me and my family.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) August 6, 2019
Y’all are mad at Joaquin Castro but not mad at a stadium full of people saying “send her back” or “shithole countries” the double standard. Also activists use public records a bunch.
— Nelini Stamp 🐺🐜 (@NelStamp) August 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/franmalayeri/status/1158863110230478848
https://twitter.com/ZForZaraThustra/status/1158859976493768705
READ MORE:
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- Trump falsely accused of deleting tweets in wake of El Paso shooting
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H/T the Hill