Social media videos on Tuesday, January 5, appeared to show Utah Senator Mitt Romney being harassed by the supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump as he took a flight from Salt Lake City to Washington DC.
He is among those Republican Senators who have rejected an effort to oppose the certification of Joe Biden's presidency this week when Congress meets to officially count the votes of the Electoral College. In one of the videos, Romney was seen being confronted by a woman when he was waiting for his flight.
According to the viral video, the woman confronted the senator, asking why he was not supporting Trump with the president's unproven claims of widespread voter fraud during the election. Another video went viral on Tuesday night that claimed to show mask-less Trump supporters screaming "traitor" at the senator, who could not be seen in the footage, while on the plane. Reports said that many supporters of Trump boarded a flight to Washington DC to attend a massive "Stop the Steal" rally which is scheduled for Wednesday, January 6.
Viral Videos
The woman in the first video which was shared on Twitter claimed that she was a Republican Utah voter. She approached Romney, a former presidential candidate, as he waited by the gate for his flight. He asked the woman to put her mask on as it was required by law in the airport.
The woman responded, saying, "Don't tell me what to do. I am standing six feet away. You know what I am going to go ahead and do it because I want to have a chat with you."
Then she said: "Why aren't you supporting President Trump? You're not supporting him." In response, the Utah senator said, "I do support President Trump. I am sorry, I do agree with many of the things he's for and I support him."
The woman continued to seek answers from the senator on whether he will be supporting Trump regarding the "fraudulent votes". Romney responded, "No, I'm not. It's a long story but it's a constitutional process and the constitution is clear. I will follow the constitution and I will explain all that when we meet in congress this week."
She then said that the senator was voted in as a conservative to represent the conservative constituents. But Romney fired back saying: "Actually, that's not how the constitution works." Then the senator picked up his laptop and tried to walk away. But the woman then questioned, "It is you're voted in to represent us, you work for us. Am I wrong?"
"I work for the people of Utah," said the senator and in response. The woman said, "Exactly and I am from Utah. There's a lot of people who didn't vote for you."
The woman further added in the video, "I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't even voted in legally. You're a joke, an absolute joke, it's a disgusting shame."
The second video was allegedly taken inside the same flight Romney boarded. "Let him know what we think," said a woman before a group of Trump supporters started chanting "traitor" and "traitor Mitt" from their seats. It is not clear whether the same woman who approached Romney at the airport was on the same flight.
In the second video, one woman screamed: "Resign Mitt. We want to know your connection to Burisma and Joe Biden, Mitt Romney." However, there was another woman who then expressed her support for the senator. "We love you Mitt Romney you're great, you're doing awesome. I'm one of your constituents and I think you're doing wonderful," said the woman.
