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Representative Clay Higgins is being slammed by the public after he forcefully pushed away a protester during a press conference held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. While the man was being taken away from the place, he yelled at Higgins, asking him to leave as he was getting hurt.
The man was identified as Jake Burdett, and according to the videos shared on social media platforms, people requested that Higgins leave Burdett.
Burdett recorded himself confronting Paul Gosar as he was speaking, and Higgins pulled him away. Additionally, Higgins told Burdett to hold off on asking questions until after Gosar finished speaking. While Lauren Boebert was giving her speech, Burdett went towards her and also crossed the barricades, following which Burdett was removed by Higgins.
Who is Clay Higgins?
Clay Higgins is the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. He joined the Military Police Corps of the Louisiana National Guard when he was only 18 years old and was later promoted to the position of staff sergeant.
Clay joined as a patrol officer at the Opelousas City Police Department in 2004, but he resigned later. The reason was that he was using force unnecessarily on a subject while executing a warrant and denied doing the same when an investigation was being conducted.
In 2010, Higgins came to the Port Barre Police Department and the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office the following year. He was promoted to the position of captain in 2014, but he resigned in 2016. Higgins then joined as a Reserve Deputy Marshal in 2016 and retired in 2019.
Clay has been against abortion and the regulation of firearms, and he has supported gun rights over the years. He has also been against same-sex marriage, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he claimed that the disease was being used as biological warfare by the Chinese Communist Party.
Jake Burdett shares his experience on Twitter
While Jake Burdett was removed by Clay Higgins, he shared the videos of the same on Twitter and wrote:
"I am currently being detained by DC Police for asking tough questions to far right extremist Congressmen @RepGosar and @laurenboebert at a press conference. Rep Clay Higgins proceeded to assault/physically remove me from the press conference. For this, the cops detained me, not him."
The video featured Burdett shouting at Gosar, and Higgins immediately proceeded towards him, asking Burdett to stand for some time and promising to answer his questions. In the second video, Burdett continues questioning Boebert about her recent divorce until Higgins pulls him away.
While speaking to HuffPost, Higgins claimed that Burdett was "threatening" and was also referring to a police code related to disturbance by someone who is suffering from mental health issues.
According to The Daily Beast, Burdett was not injured and was later released by the cops. He added that he is now planning to impose charges on Higgins. Burdett identified himself as a representative for South Louisiana and was in Washington, D.C., to attend a Medicare for All rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
