A 55-year-old Texas man who wore a pro-Donald Trump hat and a T-shirt with the words “Basket of Deplorables” at an early voting station was arrested.
The arrest of Brett Mauthe took place on Monday in Bulverde, about 25 miles north of San Antonio. He told local broadcaster KSAT-TV in San Antonio that he complied with poll workers’ request that he remove his cap but refused their request to turn his T-shirt inside out.
The text on the T-shirt was a reference to a comment made by Hillary Clinton in which she described half of Trump’s supporters as “a basket of deplorables.” She later said she regretted the remark, but many of her Republican opponent’s supporters embraced the label in defiance.
Electioneering is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.
“The reason I’m not going to talk any more to the media is that the story gets twisted around, and I don’t want to give you any comment,” Mauthe was quoted by the Houston Chronicle as saying.
According to the U.S. election code, in many places across the country, campaigning for or promoting a political candidate in a designated polling area is prohibited. In Comal County, the crime is electioneering, according to the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.
“He wanted to take a stand,” Bulverde Police Chief Gary Haecker told the newspaper. “Unfortunately, he was arrested.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
