Rand Paul 'stomper' asks victim for apology: First reactions
Tim Profitt has been dismissed by Rand Paul's campaign for violent behavior, but still insists he has done nothing wrong
![Tim Profitt says he restrained protester Lauren Valle with his foot rather than bending down because of he has back issues.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qiHDByFJiY4HfnChcdQX74-415-80.jpg)
The video: The Rand Paul supporter who was caught on video stomping on the head of a MoveOn.org protestor has suggested that an apology from his victim is in order. (Watch a local news report below.) Tim Profitt, a former Paul campaign volunteer, told a local TV station that his stompee, Lauren Valle, is a "professional" rebel-rouser and had "initiated the whole thing." Kentucky police have issued a criminal summons for Profitt, who was dismissed by the Paul campaign after the incident.
The reaction: So "the guy who stomped on a defenseless woman's head wants her to apologize to him?" asks Steve Benen at Washington Monthly. "Maybe she smudged his shoe or something." An apology might be a bit much, says Ann Althouse at her blog, but "the MoveOn.org woman came to the event to create an incident." If the Paul supporters felt threatened, then the "violent incident was prompted by the urge to defend." Just think what the Secret Service might have done to her. Watch Tim Profitt request an apology on WKYT:
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