A Chicago cocktail lounge employee accused of spitting on President Trump’s middle son Eric Trump has been placed on leave, management said Wednesday.
“We did not witness the incident and we are just beginning to learn the details,” Alinea Group, owner of The Aviary in Chicago’s trendy West Loop area, said in a statement. “What is certain is this: no customer should ever be spit upon.”
Multiple sources told NBC 5 that Mr. Trump was a patron of The Aviary about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday when an employee came up and spit on him. A woman was later taken into Secret Service custody, the station reported. Eric Trump later confirmed the incident, telling Breitbart News that it was “purely a disgusting act by somebody who clearly has emotional problems.”
“For a party that preaches tolerance, this once again demonstrates they have very little civility,” Mr. Trump said. “When somebody is sick enough to resort to spitting on someone, it just emphasizes a sickness and desperation and the fact that we’re winning.”
The Alinea Group said its HR team had since placed the employee on leave, but declined to give any additional details about her future at the lounge. The company, which owns several restaurants throughout Chicago, also slammed the online response after the incident.
“Hundreds of people are calling for the demise of our business, threatening our employees, and posting fake reviews… they are wrong to do so based on the actions of a lone individual,” Alinea Group’s statement continued, Fox News reported.
“So too, however, are those people wrong who are praising this as an act of civil disobedience. We have voices and the means to be heard. A degrading act lowers the tenor of debate. To some it might feel good, but it is unlikely to serve any larger purpose,” the statement said. “We hope this incident can, at least, serve to illuminate the current absurdity of the discourse in our politics. As fellow Americans and citizens, we should all aim higher.”
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