Candace Owens has brushed off criticism over the stipends her Blexit group allocated to some attendees to travel to a rally in Washington, as critics accuse her of endangering participants’ lives.
Owens, pro-Trump conservative and the founder of BLEXIT group, which calls for black Americans to “exit” the Democratic party, hit back against a wave of criticism sparked by ABC News’ “revelation” that her organization covered travel and lodging costs for “some guests” at Saturday’s White House event featuring US President Donald Trump.
ABC cited emails, allegedly received by the participants of a “BLEXIT Back the Blue event” rally that took place on the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument, shortly before Trump addressed hundreds of supporters from the White House balcony on Saturday.
The leaked emails also suggested that the attendees of the Blexit event were invited to join the Trump’s “law and order” protest and were told to wear “Blexit T-Shirts.”
While Owens did not make a secret out of the fact that her organization is footing the bill for travel of some of the activists, writing in an Instagram post on October 1 that the group would be “giving away a limited amount of travel stipends to those who really [need] them,” the ABC scoop has ruffled feathers online, prompting some Democrats to accuse Owens of using black people as paid “props” for “racist” Trump and endangering their lives in the process.
“They’re paying Black people to risk their lives as props for the COVID-infected racist president”, former Clinton’s foreign policy spokesperson Jesse Lehrich tweeted.
they’re all in blue cuz Candace Owens paid for their travel & required they wear BLEXIT shirts.they’re paying Black people to risk their lives as props for the COVID-infected racist president.https://t.co/BHw7uTSfzohttps://t.co/2VGNsfKnh1
“She should be held accountable if any of them get sick. You’re flying people to be infected. And for what?” Elon James White, comedian, founder and editor in chief of This Week in Blackness, Elon James White, charged.
She should be held accountable if any of them get sick. You’re flying people to be infected. And for what? — Candace Owens’ BLEXIT group pays for some attendees’ travel to Trump’s White House event – ABC News https://t.co/J5NPD0mvel
BREAKING: Live footage of Candace Owens and the Black sycophants she brought to the WH to hear #Trump lecture them about how much he’s done for them celebrating being allowed into the Big House.#CandaceOwens#Blexitpic.twitter.com/bYUIRmKkhZ
Owens admitted that “a small group of attendees who asked for financial help” were provided with “travel stipends,” while, in turn, accusing Democrats of “the weirdest, most elitist, Democrat flex” ever by what she said was “mocking people who are struggling financially.”
Um… yes. We had a small group of attendees who asked for financial help to make the event so we secured travel stipends for them.Mocking people who are struggling financially is the weirdest, most elitist, Democrat flex— possibly ever. https://t.co/eIC4cLSRCG
That did not stop the avalanche of the mostly partisan criticism, however, with one commenter arguing that “paying financially struggling people to attend an illegal campaign rally to massage trump’s ego is what’s “elitist.”
“Mocking people who are struggling financially is the weirdest, most elitist, Democrat flex”Actually, paying financially struggling people to attend an illegal campaign rally to massage trump’s ego is what’s “elitist”
Owens’ supporters, however, praised her for doing “a wonderful thing” helping people to take part in a “peaceful protest”, while drawing parallels with Black Lives Matter protests that have repeatedly descended into violence.
And that’s a kind and wonderful gesture. It’s not like she was paying for them to loot, burn and destroy.
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