Selena Jo Chambers: Florida woman arrested for allegedly throwing drink at Matt Gaetz
SOUTH WALTON, FLORIDA: Selena Jo Chambers, a resident of Tallahassee, was charged with battery after reportedly throwing a drink at US Representative Matt Gaetz during the South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival. The Walton County Sheriff claimed Gaetz insisted on filing charges.
Gaetz said that his actions were legitimate, claiming that Chambers, 41, "cross[ed] the Rubicon beyond just words to throwing stuff," as per the Guardian. Gaetz is a renowned supporter of Donald Trump. He recently took the lead in a right-wing uprising that required California Republican Kevin McCarthy to secure 15 votes before being confirmed as speaker of the US House. In response to Chambers' alleged attack, Gatez issued a press statement that read, "I will never allow the safety of north-west Floridians to be compromised."
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What is Matt Gaetz's take on the drink-throwing incident?
Gaetz mentioned that he had been "enjoying catching up with new friends and old, and folks recognized me, and we were taking pictures and having polite conversations. As I was chatting with one gentleman, a lady threw a drink on the both of us," on his podcast on Tuesday, May 2. Gaetz defended the choice to file charges by stating, "If we start allowing stuff to be thrown or hurled, if we allow people to be harmed, there is a severe risk of escalation and accident. And we don’t want to see anyone in harm’s way, whether it’s family members, supporters or even our detractors. We want them to be safe too."
"But when they really cross the Rubicon beyond just words to throwing stuff and striking me and striking a gentleman I was speaking with, with a drink, then that has really caused harm to our community. And it’s something that we want to contain and extinguish and not see going forward," Gaetz stated.
What were the charges against Selena Jo Chambers?
Charges against Chambers included misdemeanor battery and battery on an elected official. The latter is a felony. Chambers was taken to the Walton County Jail after being placed under arrest at the festival.
Chambers "told police she was walking and tripped and spilled her drink on Gaetz, though she recognized Gaetz before spilling her drink on him," Pensacola News Journal reported. The sheriff claimed that Chambers reportedly cursed Gaetz before throwing her drink, which struck the congressman and another individual. However, a female companion of Chambers said that she was the one who cursed.
'I come not for any vengeance or retribution'
Previously, a woman named Amanda Kondrat'yev was imprisoned after being found guilty of throwing a drink at Gaetz. Kondrat'yev, then 35, threw a slushie at Gaetz during the 'Open Gaetz' public event in 2019, which was hosted at the Brew Ha Ha restaurant in Pensacola.
Gaetz stated in 2019 during the trial of his attacker, "I come not for any vengeance or retribution, but for the safety of the constituents who attend our public events," according to the Guardian. Kondrat'yev, a mother of two, received a year of supervised probation, a $500 fine, and a 15-day prison sentence.
