The hearings for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court have been mired by raucous protests and disruptions and now the emergence of photos from the scene has prompted some to ask if the protestors are paid actors.
Amid prolonged chaos and a reported 70 arrests in the first two days of hearings, rumors began circulating online that activist groups were handing out cash to protesters who would then storm the courtroom to cause as much disruption as possible with a view to getting arrested.
One such alleged paid-for actor was Vickie Lampron, who can be seen in this arrest video from inside the courtroom, shared by the Center for Popular Democracy, which is involved in the demonstrations. She was arrested shortly afterwards.
In the below photo, shared by Adam Schindler, the Director of Online Strategy for Central, Lampron can be seen outside the courtroom speaking with Vinay Krishnan, a writer for SLAM magazine and an attorney, handing what appears to be money to Lampron outside the courthouse.
Schindler later added that he spoke to the protest’s organizer who confirmed that they were handing out cash which the protesters were using to pay fines they received for breaking the law.
Twitter users chimed in to support the claims that something was amiss, with some asking questions about the source of the funds.
Founder and President of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk, decried the perceived hypocrisy on Twitter. He even described it as treasonous in nature.
Others were quick to dismiss the photos as one big nothingburger.
Winnie Wong, senior adviser to the Women's March, along with co-founders Linda Sarsour and Bob Bland were all arrested Monday for their part in disrupting the confirmation hearings.
"This is well-organized and scripted. This isn't chaos,” Wong told CNN. "It's exercising your constitutional rights.”
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Wong confirmed to CNN that The Women's March had been fundraising for the planned protests via the group's email list and was paying protesters the $35 to $50 bail.
RT.com has contacted Vickie Lampron, the Women’s March and the Center for Popular Democracy for comment on what is taking place in the photo but it has yet to receive responses. It has been unable to reach Krishnan.
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