One day after being federally indicted for her role in obstructing immigration officers outside an Illinois detention facility, Gen Z House candidate Kat Abughazaleh rage-quit an interview after being asked about her charges.
Abughazaleh joined Tara Palmeri on her podcast Thursday, which followed an indictment by a grand jury alleging the Illinois congressional candidate « physically hindered and impeded » a federal agent who was « forced to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators. » Abughazaleh was one of six people named in the indictment, which also alleged the suspects scratched the word « PIG » into the side of a vehicle being driven by a federal immigration officer in addition to banging, pushing, impeding and vandalizing the car.
« Did she just sign off? Did she just leave the chat? » Palmeri questioned after Abughazaleh spontaneously removed herself from the virtual interview after only being asked a question or two about the charges she is facing and their severity. « I’m so confused. I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened. Um…okay. Well, she asked– she left because I asked her questions about what happened that day. Alright, well I will continue with the conversation on my own, I guess. This is very bizarre. »
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Abughazaleh’s abrupt exit came after she appeared to get frustrated with Palmeri’s questions regarding her federal charges.
« What do you think about those charges though, they seem really serious? » Palmeri asked Abughazaleh, noting they include accusations of « conspiracy to impede or injure an ICE officer » and « assaulting or impeding that officer. »
« Those are pretty big charges, » Palmeri remarked.
Abughazaleh responded that she « thinks » the charges were « slightly different, » but added that « no matter what the charges are in the indictment » she plans to plead not guilty. « This is a political prosecution plain and simple. »
But Palmeri continued to press the Gen Z candidate about the severity of her charges, particularly on whether she was party to scratching the word « PIG » in the side of the federal immigration officer’s car.
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« I’m not speaking to the specifics of anything that’s in the indictment right now, but, like I said, I do plan on pleading not guilty and the evidence will come out in court and I plan on winning, » Abughazaleh responded with a stern demeanor much different from what she had at the start of the discussion.
Then Palmeri played a video recording of the incident alleged in the indictment, where Abughazaleh can be seen impeding an ICE officer’s car with a large group of protesters, which evidently was the final straw for her.
« When you see that, what do you think right now? » Palmeri asked.
« Yeah, Tara, once again, this is my first time being federally indicted, like I said, » Abughazaleh shot back. « I plan on pleading not guilty, the evidence will come out in court and I plan on winning. Thank you so much for having me. »
Following Abughazaleh’s response, her camera disappeared but Palmari appeared unaware she had left and immediately went into asking another question before realizing what had happened.
« Yeah, so I guess, this – this is – I’ve never had that happen before, » Palmari said in disbelief once she understood the situation. « Apologies, » she added before pointing out that the young congressional candidate will have to get used to answering tough questions if she wants to serve in Congress.
« This could hinder her ability to serve in Congress, it could make it more difficult – you know, some people might not vote for her, but at the same time, she’s probably raised a ton of money off of it, » Palmeri continued about the charges after Abughazaleh left, noting she has been in second in a very crowded primary of 13 candidates in her race to represent Illinois’ 9th congressional district.
« I don’t understand why she left the chat. I thought I was asking some pretty basic questions, and, I don’t know, it doesn’t really bode well for – if she wants to be a member of Congress, » Palmeri continued. « I think it probably would’ve been better to just talk through it, but if she can’t take a few questions about what happened from me, how is she going to handle representing an entire district? »
Fox News Digital reached out to Abughazaleh’s campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response in time for publication.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gen-z-house-candidate-indicted-attacking-ice-officers-quits-interview-after-being-asked-about-charges
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Publish date : 2025-10-31 12:48:00
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