Republican Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana faced backlash on Wednesday when he forcefully removed a protester from a press conference in Washington, D.C.

The incident unfolded when 25-year-old Jake Burdett confronted Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona and Lauren Boebert of Colorado during a media event at the Capitol. Burdett captured the encounter on video and shared it on Twitter.

In the first clip, the activist can be heard shouting questions at Gosar, prompting Higgins to approach him. Higgins introduced himself as a Louisiana representative and proposed a deal: if Burdett peacefully stood by with his camera, Higgins promised to address his questions directly and honestly. Burdett agreed.

However, in a second video, Burdett directed questions at Boebert regarding her recent divorce filing. Higgins swiftly intervened and forcibly removed Burdett from the area.

Caught off guard, Burdett exclaimed, "Aren't you a congressperson? Stop touching me! You're hurting me!" He expressed his intention to challenge Gosar and Boebert with tough inquiries due to Gosar's controversial connections to far-right extremists, including Nick Fuentes, and Boebert's controversial public image.

Higgins defended his actions, telling our media partners at KATC that Burdett was "threatening." He suggested that Burdett's behavior resembled a disturbance caused by an individual with mental health issues, alluding to a police code.

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Higgins stated that Burdett was escorted out and handed over to the Capitol Police, describing the incident as textbook procedure.

Burdett, on the other hand, has openly invited any attorneys who agree that he was assaulted to reach out as he seems to be contemplating legal action.

See the full story here via KATC.

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