Arizona Representative Debbie Lesko on Friday turned a high school graduation speech into a political spectacle that induced parents and students to heckle her until she left the stage.
Ms Lesko, a third-term Republican who represents Arizona’s 8th district, was speaking at the Arizona Virtual Academy graduation ceremony when audience members began shouting at her, telling her “you need to go” or “there’s no place for this” after she began polling her audience on hot-button issues such as student loan forgiveness and school choice.
The congresswoman responded: “Wow, no freedom of speech here”.
She then wrapped up her remarks by telling graduates “best of luck in your future and God bless each and every one of you”.
But the heckling continued as she exited, with one man reportedly saying: “Get out of hear, you embarrassed yourself”.
One attendee who spoke to local television station KJZZ, Juliana Butler, said Ms Lesko’s remarks — which included a plug for the congresswoman’s newsletter — were totally inappropriate.
“I have heard other commencement speakers make speeches, and they were just very motivating. Nothing to do with politics, or religion or anything. It was just about the graduates. And she seemed to not grasp that and not put that like in her speech at all,” she said.
Ms Lesko told the local television station the school made a “big mistake” by asking her to wrap up her remarks because she believes the incident taught graduates they can heckle someone without consequence.
