‘Shameful and dangerous’: Top Democrat slammed for publishing Trump donor names

Castro, who is also the chairman of his brother Julián Castro’s presidential campaign, was panned by pundits and lawmakers for sharing the names in a perceived effort to target private citizens. The maximum legal donation is $2,800 for primary and general campaigns, prohibiting any individual from donating more than $5,600. The Federal Election Commission reports all donors who give over $200 to one campaign.

“Targeting and harassing Americans because of their political beliefs is shameful and dangerous. What happened to ‘when they go low, we go high?’ Or does that no longer matter when your brother is polling at 1%? Americans deserve better,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy tweeted.

“People should not be personally targeted for their political views. Period,” said Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot by a liberal activist Bernie Sanders supporter during a 2017 congressional baseball event. “This isn’t a game. It’s dangerous, and lives are at stake. I know this firsthand.”

It was not just Republicans, however, that spoke out against Castro’s decision to share information about his own constituents. “The campaign of a member of congress targeting individual donors, and their businesses, to another campaign (and not famous billionaires) is a terrible and dangerous precedent to set,” journalist Yashar Ali said in a tweet. “Also, this isn’t even Joaquin Castro’s opponent. Not that it would be ok if it were. Awful.”

“Don’t want to RT this because I don’t want to put these people’s names in my feed but this is dangerous, by any campaign,” said New York Times White House correspondent and frequent Trump critic Maggie Haberman Tuesday evening.

Former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile said in an appearance on Fox News that she didn’t agree with Castro’s tactic, either, especially in light of the recent targeted shooting attacks that claimed the lives of 31 people. “This is a tactic that people are using in the sort of … hyper-polarized environment to sort of call people out. I think it’s the wrong way to do it, but that’s what’s happening,” she said on The Five.

Press secretary for Julián Castro, Sawyer Hackett, defended the decision to tweet out the 44 names later on Tuesday, comparing the private citizens of San Antonio to major celebrities. He responded to the assertion that he was drawing attention to otherwise nonnewsworthy individuals comprised of retirees, homemakers, and small business owners, tweeting, “Guess it depends on what you decide is newsworthy. I’d like to know whether the local BBQ restaurant I patronize funds Trump’s xenophobia as much as any celebrity.”