Newt campaign staff attacks Ron Paul supporter, fractures his foot
“Everyone step on his toes!” Gingrich security harasses Ron Paul supporter
WINDERMERE, Fla.—Next time, Eddie Dillard won’t wear flip-flops.
Dillard, a 29-year-old Ron Paul supporter from this suburb near Orlando, arrived to vote at his precinct at Winderemere Baptist Church early Tuesday morning. Pulling into the parking lot, Dillard noticed a man outside the polling place with a Gingrich sign. He decided to run home, slip into his “Ron Paul Rocks America” T-shirt, grab a “Ron Paul 2012” sign from his garage, and return to give his candidate some representation outside the precinct after he cast his vote.
Dillard found a quiet spot along a sidewalk lined with tiny American flags and held up his sign. Little did he know, Newt Gingrich had chosen that very spot to make his first Primary Day campaign stop.
When Gingrich’s bus pulled up, Dillard stood silently holding his sign and watched the news-media horde swamp the candidate. Gingrich stepped down from the bus and made a beeline for Dillard. He stopped in front of Dillard and his sign and parked himself for a round of handshaking and pictures with voters. The placement couldn’t have been worse. There was Gingrich, standing with his wife Callista at their first event of the day, and a giant Ron Paul sign floated inches from their crowns.
Noticing the awkward optics, Gingrich aides and security personnel swarmed Dillard, trying to intimidate him into moving. One of Gingrich’s security agents stepped in front of him. When Dillard didn’t budge, the agent lifted his heeled shoe over Dillard’s bare foot and dug the back of it into his skin, twisting it side-to-side like he was stomping out a cigarette. Shocked, Dillard kept his ground and took a picture of the agent with his phone, which was quickly knocked out of his hand. Dillard slipped off his flip-flop to pick up the phone with his foot, and a Gingrich supporter kicked the sandal away.
“Don’t kick me!” Dillard said to the man who knocked away his sandal. More members of Gingrich’s security retinue approached, shoving their shoulders and chests in front of him.
“Just block him!” a Gingrich campaign aide said. “Everyone step on his toes!”
Gingrich supporters handed a “Newt 2012” yard sign up to the front to put in front of Dillard’s Paul sign. The two signs, zipping back and forth inches from Gingrich’s head, circled each other in the air like fighter jets in a dogfight.
When the candidate finished taking pictures with voters, furious Gingrich aides grilled Dillard.
“If we did this to you, you guys would be furious,” said an aide before stomping back toward the bus. “They have no class. No class.”
As Gingrich pulled away, Dillard looked down at his foot. With the adrenaline pumping, he hadn’t noticed the pain, but now it was starting to sink in. A bruise was forming, and there was a cut mark where the security agent had dug in his heel.
“That was really something,” Dillard said afterwards. “My heart’s racing. Not what I expected to happen today.”
Ron Paul Campaign Calls on Newt Gingrich to Apologize for His Staff Assault on Ron Paul Supporter
LAKE JACKSON, Texas – The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign is requesting an apology and decisive action from Congressman Newt Gingrich and his campaign for abuse the latter organization perpetrated against a Ron Paul supporter.
The incident occurred in the Orlando suburb of Windermere, Florida and involved 29-year-old Ron Paul supporter Eddie Dillard, who was injured during an exchange with the Gingrich campaign.
Mr. Dillard arrived at his polling site, the Winderemere Baptist Church, and noticed a Gingrich supporter holding a Gingrich sign, so to reciprocate he returned to the scene with a Ron Paul sign. The area he chose was public space but it had been identified by the Gingrich campaign as the very place where Gingrich would be visiting. As the Gingrich staff moved in, members of the security detail and/or other staff warned Mr. Dillard, telling him to exit from the public space. When Mr. Dillard exercised his right of free expression by remaining there, simply holding the sign, Gingrich’s campaign team escalated the situation and, noticing Mr. Dillard was wearing flip-flops, dug their heels in his foot and reportedly directed each other to step on Mr. Dillard’s feet. Mr. Dillard, to be sure, was injured, harassed, and inconvenienced.
Reporters from Yahoo! News were on the scene and covered the story here.
In response to the incident, the Ron Paul Presidential campaign released the following statement. Below find comments from National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton:
“They say the culture of an organization is a reflection of its top executive and today’s deplorable behavior against Ron Paul supporter Eddie Dillard in Florida reflects very poorly on Congressman Gingrich.
“I call on Congressman Gingrich to publicly apologize to Mr. Dillard.
“In addition, we ask that those Gingrich campaign staff directly involved in the episode be immediately terminated.
“There is simply no excuse for the type of violent, boorish and abusive behavior demonstrated by Mr. Gingrich’s campaign. We hope Mr. Gingrich understands this and takes the actions we recommend.”
Ron Paul Campaign Again Calls on Newt Gingrich to Make Good on Ron Paul Supporter Abuse
LAKE JACKSON, Texas – The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign again called on Congressman and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich to rectify the damage his campaign staff did when it injured and humiliated a Florida Ron Paul supporter at a voting precinct.
Yesterday members of the Gingrich team assaulted 29-year-old Ron Paul supporter Eddie Dillard in the Orlando suburb of Windermere, Florida. Details of the appalling incident can be found here.
Mr. Dillard sought medical attention and X-Rays revealed that his foot was fractured. He has been referred to an orthopedist and is currently in a walking boot.
Mr. Dillard has also been in touch with law enforcement and is filing criminal charges.
Today the Ron Paul campaign is calling on Congressman Gingrich to make good on the injuries Dillard sustained.
“Newt’s campaign staff broke Eddie Dillard’s foot, yet we still have not heard from Gingrich about how he plans to right the situation. Today, we are calling on Newt Gingrich to pay for Eddie’s medical bills. In addition, we wish Eddie a full and speedy recovery,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.
