Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) dismissed the protester who threw mock Russian flags at the senator and President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
The senator said he did not even notice the heckler, who shouted ‘Trump is treason" and threw tiny Russian flags emblazoned with "Trump" across the middle stripe. He credited the loudness of the press for distracting the pair from the protestor's actions.
"You guys were hollering so loud, frankly, I didn’t even notice it," McConnell said. "We didn’t comment on it, we just walked into my office."
A reporter asked if Trump said anything more about it, and McConnell said he did not.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Russian flag protester: "You guys were hollering so loud, frankly, I didn't even notice it." pic.twitter.com/RpuIkPv4sv
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 24, 2017
Capitol Police officers detained the man, who was identified as 36-year-old Ryan Clayton. Clayton is the president of the left-wing group Americans Take Action, and he previously used the Trump-Russia flags for a stunt at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February.
McConnell and Trump were meeting on Capitol Hill to discuss tax reform, and afterwards, the senator said they are "on the same page," CBS News reported.