Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch Told a Group of Women and Protestors to ‘Grow Up’

As the vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh draws closer, protestors have been swarming Washington D.C. to talk to their senators and speak up for sexual assault survivors everywhere.

In one recent video, protestors can be seen approaching Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch inside the Hart Senate Office Building. As Hatch walks to an elevator, one woman says, “Why aren’t you brave enough to talk to us and exchange with us?”

As they continue to talk to him, Hatch steps into the elevator and says, “When you grow up I’ll be glad to.”

Understandably upset, one woman says back to him, “How dare you talk to women that way. How dare you.” He then waves at the protestors from the back of the elevator, and as the elevator closes, you can hear one voice ask, “Senator, do you believe women?”

One of the protestors, Kathy Beynette, told the Washington Post that she was telling Hatch her father served in World War II and her son was a first responder on Sept. 11. She also wanted to ask Hatch to recuse himself from Kavanaugh’s nomination proceedings due to his behavior during the Anita Hill hearing, where he insinuated that Hill’s story was taken from The Exorcist.

She told the Post, “I know there’s no chance of him ever voting on Kavanaugh the way we would have him vote, but I would want him to see me and understand in this century that we live in women are entitled to respect. There are no laws regulating your body and I don’t want any laws regulating anybody’s body. Instead he just flicks us off like we were dirt on his shoe.”

Hatch’s spokesman Matt Whitlock responded to the video, saying that in recent weeks Hatch has been “screamed at and harassed by the very same protesters who tried to prevent confirmation hearings from even happening.” He continued, “Republicans have received every kind of death threat imaginable—all for supporting Judge Brett Kavanaugh. But Senator Hatch will not be intimidated.”

President Trump also seemingly responded to these protestors on Friday morning when he tweeted: “The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Don’t fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love!”