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A fight broke out at the opening of a Trump campaign office in Valdosta, Georgia, police have said.
The incident took place last week when State Representative John LaHood said he was approached by activist Sam Carnline after speaking at the event, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Carnline was reportedly wearing a T-shirt calling for paper ballots to be used instead of the current electronic system. The system has come under scrutiny from conservatives making baseless claims of fraud after former President Donald Trump lost Georgia in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes. Carnline said the election-related measures supported by LaHood were not strong enough.
LaHood told the paper that he and Carnline had a “passionate discussion,” but that LaHood departed after his wife approached them. Carnline has continued to claim the election was stolen from Trump despite several investigations and recounts confirming that Trump lost Georgia.
That’s when things got out of control. Republican aide Brandon Phillips reportedly spat at Carnline, an allegation Phillips denies, according to reports. Phillips is a top advisor to Republican congressman Mike Collins.
Carnline told the Journal-Constitution that Phillips stepped in between him and LaHood and that he told Carnline to “quit bothering” the state representative. When Carnline didn’t step back, he said Phillips began making insults against his family.
“I probably pointed at him and told him to get away from me. He immediately spit in my face. And at that point, I pushed him and shoved him as hard as I could,” Carnline told the paper. “He jumped back up. I cocked my fist back and was intending to hit him, but I might have just glanced his shoulder.”
“Then people talked me down. But he deserved it,” he added.
Lahood and others attending the event say they saw Carnline punch or shove Phillips at least two times.
The police account was slightly different than the witnesses.
“Brandon Phillips got in the middle of the conversation because he didn’t like the questions he was asking,” police stated regarding Carnline, according to the paper. “Words were exchanged between he and Brandon, because he was upset that Brandon spit in his face.”
“I informed Brandon that he instigated the incident by spitting on Carnline,” the officer wrote. “Both parties agreed to separate and go their separate ways with no further law enforcement action needed.”
No charges were filed. Phillips has rejected the spitting allegation, claiming that Carnline pushed him to the ground.
Phillips told the Journal-Constitution that he stepped in because he didn’t want the fight to escalate.
“They say politics can be a contact sport, and sometimes it is,” Phillips told the outlet.
“I certainly don’t mind defending any volunteers or officials who are trying to contribute in a positive way toward a Trump victory from outside agitators with the opposite agenda,” he added.
Longtime Republican activist Dennis Futch told the paper that he didn’t witness Phillips spit at Carnline, but if it happened it was unintentional as they were both shouting at the time. He added that he saw Carnline shove or hit Phillips two times.
“I’m proud of Brandon because Brandon didn’t lay one finger on Sam Carnline. It wasn’t a fight. This was Sam trying to be a bully,” Futch told the outlet.
The altercation was broken up by Chas Cannon, a state representative and Army Veteran. He told the paper that he didn’t see Phillip spit at anyone but added that Carnline tried to shove Phillips on several occasions.
“It was a heated conversation, and I didn’t think it was appropriate at an event like that. They were arguing with one another, and they went their separate ways,” Cannon told the Journal-Constitution.
“There were more people there trying to de-escalate the fighting than promote it. It was uncomfortably intense, but thankfully it didn’t escalate any further,” LaHood told the paper. “This was just a minor black eye, but it didn’t define the event. Most people there didn’t even know it happened.”
