Brooks Brothers riot

The Brooks Brothers riot was a demonstration at a meeting of election canvassers in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 22, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the 2000 United States presidential election, with the goal of shutting down the recount.[1]

The demonstration

Hundreds of paid GOP operatives descended upon South Florida to aggressively protest the state's recounts.[2] At least half a dozen of the demonstrators at Miami-Dade were paid by George W. Bush's recount committee.[3] Several of these protesters were identified as Republican congressional staffers.[4] A number of them later went on to take jobs in the incoming Bush administration.[5]

The "Brooks Brothers" name was a reference to the protesters' corporate attire; described in the Wall Street Journal as "50-year-old white lawyers with cell phones and Hermès ties." The protesters were corporate-sponsored and flown in, as opposed to being local citizens concerned about counting practices.[3][6]

The demonstration was organized by Republican operatives, sometimes referred to as the "Brooks Brothers Brigade",[7] to oppose the recount of ballots during the Florida election recount. Realizing that they could not otherwise meet a court-ordered deadline, the official canvassers decided to limit the recount to the 10,750 ballots that the elections' computer had been unable to tally. The canvassers then moved the counting process to a smaller room closer to the ballot-scanning equipment to speed up the process. The access of members of the media was restricted to a distance of 25 feet away while they continued. Republicans objected to this change of plans and insisted the canvassers must do a full recount. At this time, New York Representative John E. Sweeney[4] told an aide to "Shut it down."[3][6][8] The demonstration turned violent and according to The New York Times, "several people were trampled, punched or kicked when protesters tried to rush the doors outside the office of the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections. Sheriff's deputies restored order." DNC aide Luis Rosero was kicked and punched. Within two hours after the event, the canvassing board unanimously voted to shut down the count, in part due to perceptions that the process was not open or fair, and in part because the court-mandated deadline had become impossible to meet, thanks to the interference.[9][10][11]

The controversial incident was set in motion by Sweeney,[12] a New York Republican who was nicknamed "Congressman Kick-Ass" by President Bush for his work in Florida.[13] Sweeney defended his actions by arguing that his aim was not to stop the hand recount but to restore the process to public view.[4] Some Bush supporters did acknowledge they hoped the recount would end. "We were trying to stop the recount; Bush had already won," said Evilio Cepero, a reporter for WAQI, an influential Spanish talk radio station in Miami. "We were urging people to come downtown and support and protest this injustice." A Republican lawyer commented, "People were pounding on the doors, but they had an absolute right to get in."[9] The protest interfered with attendance by official observers and hindered with access by members of the press.[11][14] In a radio interview in Albany on November 28 Sweeney said, "What I essentially told my people is, 'You've got to stop them'." "Whether I said, 'You've got to shut it down' or 'stop them,' I frankly don't quite recall."[4] According to investigative reporter Greg Palast, author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" in 2002, Roger Stone organized the demonstration, and Matt Schlapp was the on-site leader.[15]

Participants

A partial list:[5]

• Joel Kaplan, Vice President of U.S. Public Policy for Facebook, Inc.[16][17]
• Roger Stone,[18] a self-described "GOP Hitman"[19] and former member of Nixon's Committee for the Re-Election of the President
• Matt Schlapp, a former representative Todd Tiahrt House aide who became the White House political director during the Bush administration and who became the director of the American Conservative Union in 2014.
• Garry Malphrus, who became deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Bush administration
• Rory Cooper, a former staffer for the National Republican Congressional Committee
• Tom Pyle, a former Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) staffer
• Roger Morse, a former House aide who became a lobbyist
• Duane Gibson, a Don Young aide on the House Resources Committee who worked for Ted Stevens, then became a lobbyist associated with Jack Abramoff.[20]
• Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)
• Layna McConkey Peltier, a former Senate and House aide.[21]
• Kevin Smith, a former GOP House aide
• Steven Brophy, a former GOP Senate aide to Senators Fred Thompson, Bill Frist, and in 2003, Representative Marsha Blackburn. Currently V.P. at Dollar General.[22]
• Jeff Bloemker, also a former aide to Sen. Thompson (R-TN)

References

1. https://listverse.com/2014/01/18/10-worst-dirty-tricks-in-american-politics/
2. "Mob Scene in Miami", Time, November 26, 2000
3. Maddow, Rachel (August 4, 2009). "Reviewing the history of fake conservative protests". MSNBC TV.
4. "Sweeney and the Siege of Miami", Slate, Timothy Noah, November 28, 2000. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
5. Kamen, Al (January 24, 2005). "Miami 'Riot' Squad: Where Are They Now?". The Washington Post.
6. Gigot, Paul A. (November 24, 2000). "Miami Heat: A burgher rebellion in Dade County". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 16, 2006.
7. Pullizi, Henry J (August 4, 2009), "White House Brushes Off Health-Care Protests", The Wall Street Journal.
8. Dana Canedy, Dexter Filkins (November 23, 2000), "Counting the Vote: Miami-Dade County; A Wild Day in Miami, With an End to Recounting, and Democrats' Going to Court", The New York Times
9. Dexter Filkins and Dana Canedy. "Protest Influenced Miami-Dade's Decision to Stop Recount", The New York Times, November 24, 2008
10. Joe Conason (December 3, 2000). "Right-Wingers Praise Antics of Bush Thugs" The New York Observer
11. Parry, Robert August 5, 2002, Bush's Conspiracy to Riot, Consortiumnews.com,
12. Lantigua, John (November 28, 2000): Miami's rent-a-riot Archived August 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Salon, Politics
13. Staba, David (August 22, 2006), "Race Profile: The 20th District in New York", The New York Times,
14. Clary, Mike (December 2, 2000). "Miami Mayor Denies Gore Urged Him to Publicly Support Recount". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
15. Greg Palast Talked Enron Corruption With BF Back in the Day, Buzzflash, February 2002. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
16. Rood, Justin (April 19, 2006). "New WH Policy Chief Was "Brooks Brothers" Rioter". Talking Points Memo.
17. Gold, Ashley (March 27, 2019). "The People With Power on Facebook's Policy and Communications Team". The Information.
18. Reinhard, Beth (May 17, 2008). "Bush strategist shares insight on '00 recount". Miami Herald.
19. Sarlin, Benjamin (November 20, 2008). "A GOP Dirty Trickster Has Second Thoughts". The Daily Beast.
20. Manufactured Protesters Are Killing Democracy, Huffington Post, September 7, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
21. Heard on the Hill: Still a Riot, 10 Years Later, Roll Call, Alison McSherry, November 15, 2010. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
22. Steve Brophy honored by Tennessee National Guard, Williamson Herald, Mindy Tate, January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2017.