On Wednesday, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) asked security to escort a Bernie Sanders supporter out of his press conference. Ellison ran as a Sanders-style insurgent for chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) against eventual winner Tom Perez, who was considered the establishment choice. Van Jones suggested he was the future of the Democratic Party.
“Can somebody call security?” Ellison asked, as a man off-screen continued to interrupt him with questions about the treatment of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 Democratic primary. “He wants to be pulled out of here, so let’s accommodate him. I mean, that’s what you want, because you won’t let us continue on, right?”
According to a video posted by NTK Network, Ellison tried to move on, but the Sanders supporter wouldn’t let him. “All of us are trying to have a press conference,” the congressman said. “You can say whatever you want to say. Can you allow us to have our free speech as you are trying to cancel it out?”
To this, the Sanders acolyte continued his questions. “Why don’t the Democrats pass a single-payer program?” he doggedly persisted. “Why did they kick Bernie Sanders out of the debates because he was talking about single-payer, Glass-Steagall? You guys want to go on and on about the Republicans, the Democrats are as much to blame.”
After Ellison led his fellow Democrats in a round of applause, saying, “Put your hands together if you want to go on,” the Sanders backer continued to interrupt. By doing so, Ellison said the man was blocking the DNC chair’s free speech. “So your answer’s a no, right?”
At this point, Ellison suggested calling security. Nevertheless, the heckler persisted. “Why don’t you want to reinstate Glass-Steagall? Nancy Pelosi won’t let you do that? Because Schumer and Pelosi work for Wall Street, okay?”
At this, a man escorted the heckler out of the room, silencing the Sanders wing by force. Ellison led a round of applause for the man who kicked him out.
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