DES MOINES, Iowa — Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro stood by his brother’s tweet that listed 44 Trump donors in San Antonio in an effort to shame them, arguing the information is public and commonly listed by media outlets.
“I believe that Americans have the right to freely associate. I also believe that that’s public information,” Castro told the Washington Examiner Friday at an Iowa campaign event.
The 2020 Democrat’s twin brother, Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, on Monday drew a torrent of criticism when the Twitter account operated by his reelection campaign listed San Antonio residents — in his congressional district — who donated the maximum amount to President Trump’s campaign for reelection so far this year.
“There are all types of newspapers, all types of organizations that put out information about who contributes to who. That’s nothing new,” Julián Castro said. “I think the intent was, as he said, he was lamenting the fact that you have so many folks in these big businesses in San Antonio who have made their livelihood off of the Hispanic community in San Antonio that are propping up a president, who is clearly racist, who is encouraging hate and division against the Hispanic community.”
When asked later if he condoned the harassment and intimidation of these donors, including some who have also given to him and his brother in the past, as a result of his brother’s tweet, Castro responded, “It’s not OK to. It is not OK for anybody to harass anybody else. It doesn’t matter where somebody is coming from the Right or the Left. It’s not OK for people to harass other people and nobody ever,” he said.
Julián Castro, a former San Antonio mayor, said his campaign chairman brother handled the donor information responsibly.
“That kind of information is put out all the time,” he said. “And for anybody anybody to pretend or suggest that it’s not that’s just on Twitter. Did he also be aware he did not put down anybody’s private information. He did not put down their addresses. He did not put down their phone numbers.”
Several of the Trump donors told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday they weren’t happy with the political tactics of the brothers, 44.
