Joaquin Castro Protests GOP Outcry Over Trump Donor Tweet: They’re ‘Public Records’

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 25: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) speaks during a news conference about the resolution he has sponsored to terminate President Donald Trump's emergency declaration February 25, 2019 in Washin... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 25: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) speaks during a news conference about the resolution he has sponsored to terminate President Donald Trump's emergency declaration February 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. The House is expected to vote on and pass a resolution this week that would abolish Trump's declaration of a national emergency to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) dismissed Republican outcry over his tweet listing top donors to President Donald Trump’s campaign, asserting that they are “public records.”

Castro, who also serves as his brother Julián Castro’s campaign manager, addressed the backlash on MSNBC Wednesday morning.

“When you make a political contribution, especially to a federal candidate, that’s a public record,” Castro said on “Morning Joe.” “And so that graphic lists people’s names and many of them are business owners so they actually own those companies. These are prominent donors, most of them public figures or many of them public figures. But their money is being taken and used to fuel these hateful ads and it has put millions of people in this country in fear.”

Some prominent Republicans leapt on the tweet, accusing Castro of endangering the donors.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA):

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) (who was shot during a congressional baseball practice):

Donald Trump Jr. took things a drastic step further, appearing on “Fox and Friends” to compare the tweet to the Dayton, Ohio shooter’s “kill list,” an alleged log of high school classmates he wanted to murder.

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