A Florida woman faces battery charges after allegedly throwing a drink at far-right Republican congressman Matt Gaetz during a food and wine festival. Selena Jo Chambers, 41, was arrested following the incident on Saturday night in South Walton Beaches, with police confirming Gaetz insisted on pressing charges.
According to the Walton County sheriff, Chambers cursed at Gaetz before throwing her drink, which struck both the congressman and another person. Chambers claimed she tripped and spilled the drink accidentally, but authorities say she recognised Gaetz before the incident. A companion of Chambers disputed that she was the one who cursed.
Gaetz defended his decision to press charges, stating on his podcast: 'If we start allowing stuff to be thrown or hurled, there is a severe risk of escalation and accident.' He described the act as crossing 'the Rubicon beyond just words to throwing stuff.' This is not the first such incident; in 2019, Amanda Kondrat'yev received a 15-day prison sentence for throwing a slushie at Gaetz.
Chambers, described by Gaetz as a 'registered Democrat and self-described member of the resistance,' faces one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of battery on an elected official, a felony. Gaetz, a prominent ally of Donald Trump, recently played a key role in the rightwing rebellion that forced Kevin McCarthy through multiple votes for House speaker.
