After growing angry at a blogger for chewing with her mouth open while filming him, Maine's Gov. Paul LePage (R) was caught on camera physically moving the older woman before appearing to wipe spittle off of his face.
Portland, Maine's Press Herald newspaper reported Friday that the woman is blogger Carol McCracken of the Munjoy Hill News blog.
"Do you mind?" LePage is heard saying in the 20-second clip posted by local broadcast journalist Jim Keithley. "Do you mind moving, please?"
After putting both his hands on either sides of McCracken's shoulders, the governor then gently pushed the woman.
"Don't push me," she replied, still chewing.
After the governor wiped his face and walked away, the blogger called after him, "you're the rude one, not me."
"I don’t need your lunch," he replied.
LePage's spokesperson Julie Rabinowitz accused McCracken of "very aggressively" pushing her way into the governor's personal space and taking "several flash photos just inches from his eyes." The video, however, shows the blogger standing just off to the side of other reporters, multiple of whom had microphones in LePage's face.
"She was taking advantage of the buffet in the Hall of Flags, which was intended for legislators, and was chewing with an open mouth," Rabinowitz said. "Chicken salad flew from her mouth, spraying the Governor with bits of food."
McCracken proceeded to write about the incident on Munjoy Hill News and characterized herself as "an easy target for this bully."
Watch the video below:
