A libertarian activist was charged on Wednesday after an altercation with Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc, WMUR reports.
Video of the incident shows an altercation between Bolduc and Joseph Hart.
Hart was among a group of people outside Wednesday’s Senate debate at Saint Anselm College before being told to leave, according to police.
A short time later, a “disturbance” occurred when Hart approached Bolduc while he was greeting supporters.
Police broke up the altercation and Hart was charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Video:
Video shows Hart approach Bolduc before the candidate points at him and asks for him to be removed.
“He hit me,” Bolduc is heard repeatedly saying in the video though it did not appear that Hart attacked him.
The group Free Keene released the video and said it shows that Hart did not attempt to make contact with Bolduc.
Bolduc later told WMUR that “I wouldn’t call it an assault.”
"If the police didn’t do their job, it probably would have been an assault, but you can't speculate,” he said.
The video appears to show Bolduc elbowing Hart during the altercation.
"No, I didn't assault anybody," Bolduc said. "He closed … toward me, I was turning to protect myself and that was it. It was simple as that."
Democrat reacts:
Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan released a statement on Thursday condemning the attack.
"The behavior of the Libertarian Party agitators toward Don Bolduc last night was despicable," Hassan wrote. "I want to thank the Goffstown Police and St. Anselm College for their commitment to keeping everyone safe."
