Small Russian flags bearing the word "Trump" are thrown by a protester toward US President Donald Trump, as he walks with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill to have lunch with Senate Republicans and push for his tax reform agenda, on Oct. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON — A liberal protester threw small Russian flags at the US president Tuesday and repeatedly shouted “Trump is treason” as he arrived on Capitol Hill for lunch with Republican lawmakers.
The man was just meters from Trump and standing among a pool of reporters in a Senate hallway. Trump ignored the man, although he did give the thumbs-up sign as the red white and blue flags of Russia fell at his feet, and kept walking along with Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell.
“This president conspired with agents of the Russian government to steal the election,” the protester shouted before being detained by Capitol police.
Ryan Clayton of Americans Take Action (C) is corralled by police after he threw Russian flags at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and US President Donald Trump at the US Capitol on October 24, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP)
Trump was at Congress to attend a weekly Republican luncheon and push his proposal for sweeping tax cuts.
The protester was identified as Ryan Clayton, leader of a group called Americans Take Action, which is pushing for Trump to be impeached.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Clayton was already known for having passed around Russian flags at a conference of conservative activists outside Washington.
Congressional panels and special prosecutor Robert Mueller are investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with what US intelligence agencies have said were unmistakable Russian attempts to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the November election.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
