Protesters banned from the University of Florida’s confirmation vote for Ben Sasse by a judge as a felony count of trespassing, according to a report released this week.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the University of Florida had ruled that Sasse, whose candidacy was backed by the Club for Growth, was under the jurisdiction of the school after a group of protesters who blocked the parking lot of the Gainesville campus tried to enter the campus around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to protest his involvement in President Trump’s Department of Education.
A spokesperson for the University of Florida told The Hill that there was no decision yet on the trespassing charge, according to the Democrat.
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The Gainesville campus has been a target of protests since Trump took office, with former presidents and political allies of the president meeting with students and faculty to discuss their concerns and to rally for his policies.
The Hill reached out to Sasse’s office for further comment. Sasse spokesman Jonathan Kopp said Friday that Sasse was unavailable but would be talking with reporters later in the day.
Sasse previously said he disagreed with Trump’s decision to fire school officials who allegedly discriminated against Trump’s daughter and son-in-law.
“The first two weeks are important for Trump. But so are the first couple months — a review of student attrition rates, for example,” Sasse said in February. “I don’t think this was the week that the American people could have turned around and said, ‘We’re done with this administration. We’re going to start looking at the future.’”
The former UF senator made the comments while speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C. on the floor of the U.S. Senate regarding his concerns about the U.S. education system and Trump’s decision to remove Obama’s education secretary.
