Allen West admits to ‘flicking’ mask of person who confronted him

Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West said that he removed the mask of a person who confronted him at Dallas-Fort Worth airport for not wearing a mask in public.

West said in a statement that he was “berated” at the airport on Wednesday by a man whom he called “a left-wing partisan,” who “cursed and insulted” him for not wearing a mask.

He then responded by “flicking the individual’s mask off.”

“The individual raised his fists at Col. West, who ensured the person had their mask prior to departing the airport,” the statement added. 

“There’s no mask law, nothing has ever passed in the US House and Senate making wearing a mask law,” West wrote on Twitter. However, federal regulations do require mask wearing at airports. 

He put up his fists and I walked away. I did call him a stupid man. I have spoken to DFW PD.

There’s no mask law, nothing has ever passed in the US House and Senate making wearing a mask law.

— Allen West (@AllenWest) November 3, 2021

The statement from West’s campaign added that “left-wing activists have brazenly badgered and assaulted conservatives and perceived heretics of the COVID orthodoxy and liberal dogma since the beginning of the Trump administration and onward.”

He further added that he will “not cave to bullying by progressive political punks.” 

The airport police were called after the incident and West said he “gladly” spoke to the officers at the scene.

He is holding a press conference on Thursday to discuss “medical freedom issues facing Texas,” his campaign announced on Twitter.

The 60-year-old, who last month confirmed he had pneumonia related to a COVID-19 infection, has previously said that getting the vaccine should be an individual choice. 

He stepped down as chair of the Texas Republican Party earlier this year to primary current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).