U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, brother of Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro, has defended his decision to tweet a list of people in his hometown of San Antonio who gave the maximum donation to President Donald Trump.
Castro said Wednesday he wasn't trying to incite violence by sharing the list of publicly available information in the wake of a shooting that targeted Hispanic people in El Paso, Texas. The tweet, from his campaign account, said the "contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as 'invaders.'"
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.
Their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’ pic.twitter.com/YT85IBF19u
— Joaquin Castro (@Castro4Congress) August 6, 2019
Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, criticized Castro for "harassing Americans because of their political beliefs," adding that Julian Castro has failed to get momentum in the presidential race. Joaquin Castro shot back that McCarthy is "trying to distract from the racism that has overtaken the GOP."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday tweeted a picture of his dinner at a barbecue restaurant owned by one of the Trump donors singled out by Castro. Sawyer Hackett, spokesman for Julian Castro, criticized the governor for that tweet when 22 of his constituents "were killed by a domestic terrorist 3 days ago."