Representative Patricia Morgan Questions Connection Between Violent Assailant at Offshore Wind Forum and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse  

David Booth, associated with Sheldon Whitehouse campaign, has been charged with assault stemming from attack at public form in Newport 

Warwick, RI- Patricia Morgan, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate is asking for information about the relationship between the man, David Booth, who assaulted female attendee, Constance Gee, at a recent public hearing on offshore wind development along our coastline and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Prior to the incident the assailant appeared on multiple pages of Whitehouse online sites and appears to be a regular participant in his campaign. “Since the assault, Whitehouse has ‘disappeared’ the assailant from social media.  However, removing his image does not equate to removing his association with the Senator.” explained Patricia Morgan. 

 David Booth is a field director for Climate Jobs RI, a coalition of 3 dozen labor, environmental and community groups committed to achieving a transition to Net Zero throughout our economy. He had previously worked for 25 years in the painters’ union. During a public meeting hosted by the Newport Energy & Environment Committee on August 15, Booth forcibly grabbed a bag of blade fragments and tried to snatch a fiberglass shard and box of debris from Ms. Gee. He pushed what appeared to be a notecard into her face and grabbed a microphone away from another speaker to prevent her from being heard.  Newport police have now charged him with simple assault. A civil rights complaint is being contemplated.

“It is troubling that the chairman of the Newport Commission took no action to stop that attack. On the contrary, a member can be heard complaining that Ms. Gee haddelayed their presentation by 30 minutes. This is a public body! Yet they sat by without complaint while a woman was assaulted for courageously standing up against offshore wind. What don’t these ‘leaders’ understand about the public’s right to appear and participate in public meetings? What don’t they understand about polite behavior in a public forum? Why did they fail to condemn this aggressive behavior? Where is their apology? The suggestion that they were annoyed with Ms. Gee’s remarks suggests that this forum was intended to be another propaganda show, instead of a discussion that included diverse opinions about the impact and advisability of installing hundreds of wind turbines close to our coastline,” Morgan continued. 

It has been discovered that the Chairman of the Newport Energy and Environment Commission is the Senior Content Associate in Digital Engagement at Future Earth, a part of Climate Power. Climate Power is a liberal advocacy group formed in 2020 to defend the climate change industrial complex. They are expected to spend $80 million on advertising to elect Vice President Harris and attack President Trump. “This appears to be a blatant conflict of interest, “ said Representative Morgan. “Did the Council know this when they appointed her to the Commission?” 

“Public forums are supposed to be places where citizens can voice their concerns,” said Patricia Morgan. “This wasn’t a forum at all—it was a carefully orchestrated propaganda event, designed to silence anyone who dared to speak out against the prevailing narrative. This assailant is an associate of Sheldon Whitehouse. Where is his condemnation of this blatant attack on free speech?  Does Sheldon Whitehouse endorse these tactics that are meant to bully, silence, and censor any opponents to his most important policy priority? Does Senator Whitehouse agree that public forums should be reserved for one-sided propaganda?  Sweeping this incident under the rug by removing photos from a webpage is simply not acceptable.” Morgan continued. 

Public forums are intended to allow the public to hear and question the advisability of actions taken by their government. They depend on public forums to voice their opinions and introduce relevant information and knowledge.  It is through open and vigorous debate that includes all stakeholders that the best decisions can be achieved. Sadly, that concept appears dead in public meetings concerning offshore wind development. The people of Rhode Island deserve transparency and openness. Both the Newport Commission and Sheldon Whitehouse must provide honest answers.