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Ben Sasse questions ‘paid rioting’ in tweetstorm

by Rebecca Savransky - 11/17/16 8:42 AM ET

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s toughest GOP critics on Thursday suggested protests against Trump are the result of “paid rioting.”

“Why don’t we have more reporting on paid rioting?” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) tweeted. “Who pays for it? How much? Why? Through what orgs? Who are the ‘workers’? Who recruits?”

Why don’t we have more reporting on paid rioting?

Who pays for it?
How much?
Why?
Through what orgs?
Who are the “workers”?
Who recruits?

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) November 17, 2016

{mosads}Protests broke out against Trump shortly after his election victory last week. The president-elect himself stoked speculation that the demonstrations were not legitimate, tweeting that “professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”

Sasse in subsequent tweets Thursday said he is especially curious about “pay+violence.”

“Some of you offer important distinction betw ‘riot’ & ‘protest’ – Fair,” he tweeted. “We shld know more on both. But I’m esp’ly curious about pay+violence.”

He then directed a question toward people who are “certain there is no such thing as paid protesting.”

“Why not just report more on astroturfing then? Size? Funders? Limits?”

Question for those certain there is no such thing as paid protesting:

Why not just report more on astroturfing then? Size? Funders? Limits? https://t.co/sp0k3HWO0E

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) November 17, 2016

Sasse, one of the handful of GOP senators who never endorsed Trump, said after the election that he would do everything he could to “hold the president to his promises.”

“To fight for an ethics reform package that upends cronyism and enacts term limits; to lead on repealing and replacing ObamaCare; and to nominate judges who reject law-making by unelected courts.”

He conceded that American voters had “demanded disruption” on Election Day.

Tags Donald Trump