Man dumps Mitch McConnell's to-go box on Bardstown Road, witness says

Lucas Aulbach | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption McConnell, Elaine Chao confronted at Louisville restaurant A man is seen confronting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao at Havana Rumba in Louisville, Kentucky. (Video has no sound) Oct. 19, 2018

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had a rough night at Havana Rumba.

The Kentucky senator was heckled Friday night at the popular Cuban restaurant on Bardstown Road.

At one point, a man took McConnell's to-go box off the table, opened the door to Bardstown Road and dumped the food on the sidewalk, according to Casey Leek, who saw the encounter while dining at the restaurant Friday night.

A video acquired by TMZ posted Saturday morning shows a man yelling at the senator and his wife, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.

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The video shows McConnell and Chao sitting at a booth when a man confronts the couple, saying "they're going to come for social security" and at one point yelling, “Why don’t you leave the entire country alone?”

The senator remains silent while a table of people in the restaurant tell the heckler to move along. Leek said many in the restaurant seemed to oppose McConnell.

Leek, describing what he saw from start to finish, told the Courier Journal that he first saw McConnell and Chao go to the restaurant's bar before coming back out into the main dining room.

A woman approached their table after a few moments, Leek said, and loudly stated that McConnell is a "traitor" as others clapped and joined in. McConnell remained silent, while Chao loudly responded that the protesters should "leave them alone."

That woman left peacefully while others cheered, Leek said. As Leek's party left the restaurant, he said they saw a man approach McConnell's table, yelling and waving his arms. Leek said the man eventually took McConnell's to-go box and dumped the food on the sidewalk. As Leek's party drove off, he said he saw the man leave the restaurant and walk away on Harvard Drive.

"I do not support making anyone feel unsafe no matter how much I disagree with them," Leek told the Courier Journal.

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In a Facebook post, Havana Rumba said its staff was "caught off guard as the incident developed quickly" during a busy period.

"We deeply regret the incident that took place at our restaurant this weekend. We strongly believe everyone should feel welcome and safe in our restaurants," the restaurant said. "Once we were aware of the situation we acted quickly and efficiently to assure that everyone was safe. For 14 years, we have properly handled every situation that has arisen with no complaints of any kind. We will continue to do so, training our staff and management better."

Robert Steurer, a spokesman for McConnell, said the senator and Chao enjoyed their meal "and they appreciate those who spoke up against incivility."

"They hope other patrons weren't too inconvenienced by left-wing tantrums," Steurer said, adding that McConnell isn't intimidated by protesters.

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It's been an unpleasant year for McConnell at restaurants and other public spaces.

Earlier this month, Kentucky’s senior senator was confronted at an airport in Washington, D.C., by women protesting the confirmation of new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had been accused of sexual misconduct.

In June, McConnell and Chao were heckled by protesters as they left a dinner at Georgetown University in D.C.

Weeks later in July, he was confronted outside of the Bristol on Bardstown Road during a lunch with outgoing Kentucky House majority leader Jonathan Shell. That same weekend, McConnell abruptly left Sarino in Schnitzelburg as protesters blared Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.”

Protesters were confronting the senator about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration's policies of separating migrant families at the border. Faced with widespread criticism, President Trump later issued an executive order to stop the practice, which McConnell supported.

Lucas Aulbach: 502-582-4649; laulbach@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @LucasAulbachCJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/lucasa.

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