Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she was asked to leave a Little Rock restaurant after the owner told her security detail that her presence made employees feel “threatened and uncomfortable.”
In a statement released Wednesday, a spokesperson for Sanders said the governor was having lunch Friday at The Croissanterie with two others while accompanied by members of the Arkansas State Police Executive Protection Detail.
According to the statement, the group had been seated for about an hour and 15 minutes and had already paid and tipped staff when the restaurant’s owner approached a member of the security detail and asked that Sanders leave.
The spokesperson said the owner cited concerns from employees related to Sanders’ political views.
The governor’s office said the group began to leave, and that a man standing with staff members yelled at them and made a crude hand gesture in Sanders’ direction.
In a separate statement, Sanders criticized the incident.
“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” Sanders said.
The restaurant has not publicly responded to the governor’s claims.
No further details were immediately available.
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