‘We are going to make sure he sees us,’ Indivisible chapter boasted before disrupting Bernie Moreno’s town hall
A Soros-funded dark money group that has offered to pay for protests was behind an unruly demonstration at a recent town hall event featuring Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio), a fact that went unmentioned in media coverage of the event.
What those outlets didn’t mention was the rowdy atmosphere at Moreno’s town hall at the City Club of Cleveland was manufactured by a local chapter of Indivisible, the dark money group bankrolled by liberal billionaire George Soros’s philanthropic network that pledged in March to pay activist groups up to $200 to protest and disrupt the town halls of Republican lawmakers.
The Indivisible chapter, Mobilize the Vote NEO, was part of a coalition of groups that organized the protest of Moreno’s Aug. 20 event, which was moderated by NBC reporter Henry Gomez. Outside the venue, protesters were pictured carrying signs reading “MORENO PROTECTS PEDOPHILES” and others calling the Ohio Republican a “CRUEL BIGOT.” The event itself was frequently disrupted by agitators in the audience banging tables, groaning, laughing, and hurling insults at Moreno.
“We the People are his boss, not the orange one,” the Indivisible chapter said in an online listing promoting the protest of Moreno’s Cleveland town hall. “We are going to make sure he sees us on August 20th when he shows his face to regular Ohioans standing outside the City Club as he yucks it up with his millionaire/Billionaire buddies and lies to the audience.”
At one point during Moreno’s town hall, City Club of Cleveland CEO Dan Moulthrop had to pause questioning to chastise the protesters in attendance.
“We’re here to respect civic discourse,” Moulthrop told the agitators. “And if you don’t want to respect civic discourse, you don’t have to stay, and I’ll happily refund any tickets that need to be refunded.”
The local media outlets that covered Moreno’s town hall, including Cleveland.com, Ideastream Public Media, and Ohio Capital Journal, did not mention the protesters that disrupted Moreno’s town hall were affiliated with Indivisible. The left-wing group offered in March to pay activist groups up to $200 to finance “chicken suits” and cardboard depictions of members of Congress for their use at GOP town halls.
As a nonprofit organization, Indivisible does not have to disclose the sources of its funding to the public. However, known donors to the group include Soros and his fellow Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman.
Moreno has been a favorite target of Indivisible since he took office in January. The leader of the group’s Central Ohio chapter, Meryl Neiman, also leads a group called the Ohio Progressive Action Leaders, which has organized weekly protests outside Moreno’s district office in Cleveland where left-wing protesters flood his phones with thousands of calls until his voicemail boxes are full. Local media outlets have provided favorable coverage to those same activists in stories centered around their complaints over Moreno’s lack of “accessibility” because his office can’t accept voicemails, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Following Moreno’s town hall, Ohio Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou urged GOP lawmakers to avoid future events at the City Club of Cleveland.
“What occurred on Wednesday was completely unwarranted,” Triantafilou told Cleveland.com. “The City Club must do more to restore civility in its open dialogue sessions, and I welcome any recommendations to help improve that process.”
As for Moreno, his office said he wasn’t fazed by Indivisible’s antics.
“Senator Moreno is committed to fighting every single day for Ohio and he will never back down, no matter what far-left, dark money groups and deranged liberal activists throw his way,” Moreno spokesman David Stinson told the Free Beacon.
Mobilize the Vote NEO did not return a request for comment.
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