Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Good is facing backlash after his campaign team called the police on the group of Trump supporters during an incident that occurred this Saturday. The controversy emerged after Rep. Good (R-VA), who is vying for re-election, was expelled from a pro-Trump gathering.
The incident, which has sparked a significant amount of criticism, was captured in an audio recording obtained by the Daily Caller. Rep. Good, who is currently contesting against state Rep. John McGuire (R-VA) for the primary in Virginia’s 5th district, made an appearance at a Trump-themed store in Farmville, Virginia.
The store, owned by Karen Angulo, the now-former GOP Chair of Appomattox, Virginia, became the center of the contentious episode.
The audio revealed a conversation where an individual, identified as Diana from Bob Good’s campaign, urgently requested police assistance due to the presence of “belligerent people” allegedly invading the Congressman’s personal space. The caller specified the disturbance being caused by four young men, described as white males, who were taking pictures and videos.
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The incident, caught on video obtained by Daily Beast reporter Reese Gorman, showcased the confrontation between Rep. Good and the event’s organizer, who accused him of attempting to hijack the occasion for his own political gain.
A conversation unfolded where the organizer confronted Rep. Good about sending out communications that misleadingly suggested the event was organized by him, featuring President Trump’s image and soliciting donations. This was seen as an unauthorized attempt to leverage the event for his own promotional purposes.
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Angulo emphatically stated, “This is not the Fitbisters, this is my private show, and you all are trespassing.” Further accusations were made against Rep. Good, alleging that he was trying to use the event venue for his campaign activities by misleadingly presenting it as a public space, despite it being privately owned.
Rep. Good experienced backlash for his choice to back Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida over Trump in the presidential primary contests. A Trump campaign spokesman has previously stated that this time around, the primary support that benefited Rep. Good in 2020 will not be in effect for the 2024 election.
“Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him,” stated Chris LaCivita, who is managing Trump’s campaign, in an interview with Cardinal News last month. In response to the criticism of his endorsement, Rep. Good clarified that he did not oppose Trump.
“I’m not against President Trump — I like what President Trump did. I just think we need eight years and so that’s why I endorsed Gov. DeSantis,” he explained to the media in January.
Angulo went on to reveal that despite being informed the previous night that his presence was unwelcome, Good arrived at the event anyway without an invitation.
The owner’s statement said that Rep. Good “attempted to make the day about himself, instead of President Trump,” criticizing his attempt to shift the focus of the event from its intended celebration of the former president to his own political agenda.
“I repeatedly asked Bob to leave. Once he finally relented and left our store, Bob and his paid campaign staff stood out front for over four hours trying to block people from entering our store. The whole thing was very embarrassing behavior for anyone, let alone a sitting member of Congress.”
“They removed me as Appomattox chairman on Saturday night and are threatening to remove the Buckingham Chair for her support of President Trump and other MAGA candidates. Bob and his staff are undermining the will of local committee members for Bob’s benefit and it is wrong,” the statement continued.
“It greatly saddens me to have a congressman like Bob Good that does not support President Trump or the MAGA movement. Now more than ever I am working exclusively to get President Trump back in the White House and other America First candidates into office.”