Opening of Trump campaign office in Georgia descends into chaos with fist fight

A fight broke out at the opening of a Trump campaign office in Valdosta, Georgia, police have said.

The incident took place last week when State Representative John LaHood said he was approached by activist Sam Carnline after speaking at the event, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carnline was reportedly wearing a T-shirt calling for paper ballots to be used instead of the current electronic system. The system has come under scrutiny from conservatives making baseless claims of fraud after former President Donald Trump lost Georgia in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes. Carnline said the election-related measures supported by LaHood were not strong enough.

LaHood told the paper that he and Carnline had a “passionate discussion,” but that LaHood departed after his wife approached them. Carnline has continued to claim the election was stolen from Trump despite several investigations and recounts confirming that Trump lost Georgia.

That’s when things got out of control. Republican aide Brandon Phillips reportedly spat at Carnline, an allegation Phillips denies, according to reports. Phillips is a top advisor to Republican congressman Mike Collins.

Carnline told the Journal-Constitution that Phillips stepped in between him and LaHood and that he told Carnline to “quit bothering” the state representative. When Carnline didn’t step back, he said Phillips began making insults against his family.

“I probably pointed at him and told him to get away from me. He immediately spit in my face. And at that point, I pushed him and shoved him as hard as I could,” Carnline told the paper. “He jumped back up. I cocked my fist back and was intending to hit him, but I might have just glanced his shoulder.”

“Then people talked