Democrat Sen. Chris Coons, who represents President Joe Biden’s state of Delaware, had a testy confrontation with a far-left journalist over the war between Israel and Hamas that appeared to result in the reporter being thrown off the train.
Coons, 60, is the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, who became Biden’s permanent replacement in Washington after he became vice president.
Aaron Mate, a reporter for the left-wing newspaper The Gray Zone, has fervently called for a ceasefire — which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected — in the wake of Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of 1,400 Israelis.
Mate posted a video on XMonday on an Amtrak train with Coons and decided to ask him why he wouldn’t call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Coons asked ‘who are you? and after Mate made it clear he was a reporter, he added, “This is a quiet car and you’re not supposed to be talking to me.”
Democrat Senator Chris Coons, who represents President Joe Biden’s state of Delaware, had a testy confrontation with a far-left journalist over the Israel-Hamas war that appeared to lead to the reporter being thrown off the train
Mate continues: ‘Children are dying. American weapons are killing children in Gaza.”
The senator responds, “Who are you? Nice to meet you, Aaron. Please stop talking to me.”
The far-left reporter continues to try to get Coons to clarify his position, while the senator asks an Amtrak employee for help.
‘Please stop. Please stop. Aaron, you are bothering me and everyone else around you. Sir, can I please get help here? He bothers me while I’m trying to work.’
Coons finally gives in to Mate’s interrogation.
“I’m not going to call for a ceasefire,” he said. “I’m a big believer in humanitarian pauses. I have urged the Israeli government to direct its campaign against Hamas.”
However, Mate does not back down and Coons threatens to have him kicked off the Amtrak shuttle.
“Aaron, please stop, or I’ll have you thrown off this train. I’m a senator, this is a quiet car. You are violating the basic rules of how we operate Amtrak, please stop.”
Aaron Mate, a reporter for the left-wing newspaper The Gray Zone, has fervently called for a ceasefire — which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected — in the wake of Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of 1,400 Israelis.
Coons finally gets up and walks away.
In a follow-up video, Mate claims he ended up getting kicked off the Amtrak train.
“After I questioned Senator Coons about his support for the Israeli massacres in Gaza, I was asked to move to another seat. “I have complied,” he said.
“About 30 minutes later he walked past me. We didn’t exchange words. At the next stop, in Philadelphia, I was taken off the train. I assume this was done at the request of Senator Coons.’
When asked by the New York Post for comment on the matter, a spokesperson for Coons did not comment on Mate being kicked off the train, but reiterated his position.
“As Senator Coons said this afternoon, he believes that the entire world must unite in the fight against terrorism following the massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7,” the spokesperson said.
“While Senator Coons is not in favor of a ceasefire, he has repeatedly made clear that he supports humanitarian pauses to allow aid deliveries to Gaza, including hospitals, and has urged the Israeli government to end their campaign against to target Hamas.’
“He has also repeatedly called for the swift release of the hostages Hamas continues to hold,” the spokesman added.
DailyMail.com has contacted an Amtrak spokesperson for comment.
Mate and The Gray Zone are heavily critical of Israel, with Mate claiming that the Jewish state was “founded on ethnic cleansing in 1948 and has occupied and terrorized the West Bank and Gaza since 1967” in a post on
Mate and The Gray Zone are heavily critical of Israel, with Mate claiming that the Jewish state was “founded on ethnic cleansing in 1948 and has occupied and terrorized the West Bank and Gaza since 1967” in a post on X.
“Israel has always chosen occupation and supremacy over peace and security,” he wrote in another post.
He also claimed he would “never forgive, never forget” over a report on Palestinian fatalities during Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks.
President Biden said late last week that there was “no possibility” of a ceasefire to the ongoing fighting in Gaza.