A Fulton Market restaurant employee was taken into Secret Service custody Tuesday after allegedly spitting on Eric Trump, the 35-year-old son of President Donald Trump.
The incident happened about 8:30 p.m. at The Aviary restaurant, 955 W. Fulton Market.
“It was purely a disgusting act by somebody who clearly has emotional problems.” Eric Trump told the right-wing website Breitbart News. “For a party that preaches tolerance, this once again demonstrates they have very little civility.”
The Aviary issued a statement Wednesday morning:
Last night an unfortunate incident occurred between an employee at The Aviary and Eric Trump. We did not witness the incident and we are just beginning to learn the details.
What is certain is this: no customer should ever be spit upon. We have not yet spoken with the employee but our HR team has, in the meantime, placed her on leave. We will not discuss internal HR matters beyond this statement.
More broadly, the online discussion about the incident is troubling. 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.
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.
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.
Chicago police confirmed officers “assisted the Secret Service with a law enforcement matter,” but did not elaborate on any details and directed further questions to the Secret Service. The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment.
Two restaurant employees told the Sun-Times an employee of The Aviary spit on Eric Trump but did not see the incident themselves.
Several people in the bar reported seeing an influx of Secret Service at the restaurant and one of the Trump sons inside. They told the Sun-Times they saw an arrest happen and heard another employee say “Oh my god, she spit on him.”
Eric Trump declined to press charges against the employee, Breitbart News reported.
Eric Trump later tweeted photos of Trump International Hotel and Tower, saying “Always love visiting @TrumpChicago! It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world!”
Always love visiting @TrumpChicago! It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world! @TrumpHotels pic.twitter.com/vr60sbbb07
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 26, 2019
