Former White House official says Trump supporters harassing Romney ‘beneath us as a country’

Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah took to Twitter Wednesday to criticize supporters of President Trump who heckled Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) while he was at the Salt Lake City airport.

The group of supporters vocalized their disdain with the senator’s refusal to support Trump’s campaign to challenge the 2020 election results. 

“Don’t know who needs to hear this but harassing @MittRomney & calling him a traitor is beneath us as a country,” wrote Farah, who resigned last month after serving under various roles in the Trump administration for more than three years. 

“Disagree fervently — do it respectfully,” she added. Farah noted that the Utah senator’s wife, Ann Romney, has multiple sclerosis and argued that this should have prompted supporters who heckled him to “put on your damn mask.” 

Don’t know who needs to hear this but harassing @MittRomney & calling him a traitor is beneath us as a country. Disagree fervently – do it respectfully.

Btw – his wife has MS, put on your damn mask.

— Alyssa Farah (@Alyssafarah) January 6, 2021

Video footage Tuesday showed a woman recording Romney while he was waiting at a gate in the airport terminal. 

“Why aren’t you supporting President Trump?” the woman asked. 

The Utah senator then asked the woman to put on her mask, reminding her it is required by law, before engaging in a discussion with her.

A later video from another Twitter user showed Trump supporters on the flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C., shouting at Romney while aboard the airplane. 

In the video, passengers chant “Traitor!” for several seconds. One person is heard yelling at Romney to resign, and a few of the passengers can be seen not wearing masks in the video. 

The incident came ahead of Wednesday’s planned joint session of Congress to formally count the Electoral College vote that broke in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. 

Romney has said he will vote to certify Biden’s win and has called claims of voter fraud made by the president and his allies “reckless.”

Others also took to Twitter to condemn the Trump supporters who heckled Romney, with fellow Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R), tweeting Wednesday morning, “No matter our political differences let’s all treat each other with respect and decency.”

“Harassing your political opponents on a plane is not acceptable,” he continued. “Harassing your political opponents at their home is not acceptable. We as a country need to be better than this.”

No matter our political differences let’s all treat each other with respect and decency. Harassing your political opponents on a plane is not acceptable. Harassing your political opponents at their home is not acceptable. We as a country need to be better than this.

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) January 6, 2021

Farah submitted her letter of resignation from the Trump administration in early December so she could “pursue new opportunities.” She was a regular figure on television defending the White House but was absent from the airwaves following Election Day.

Farah first served in the Trump administration as a spokeswoman for Vice President Pence and then for former Defense Secretary Mark Esper. She was brought on as White House communications director in April after Mark Meadows took over as Trump’s chief of staff, having previously worked with him on Capitol Hill.