Sarah Huckabee Sanders asked to leave Little Rock restaurant after lunch

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a Little Rock restaurant, according to her office. The incident followed claims that workers felt threatened by her presence. The governor had finished lunch on Friday with two other mothers.

Her office released a statement on Wednesday night about the encounter. Sanders was eating at The Croissanterie with an Arkansas State Police protection detail. The group sat at two separate tables for about an hour and fifteen minutes.

The party paid their bill and tipped the staff, according to the governor’s spokesperson. The owner then approached a member of the protection detail. The owner asked Sanders to leave due to her political views.

Her presence was making employees threatened and uncomfortable, the spokesperson said. The governor and her party began to depart. A man standing near staff yelled and made a crude hand gesture toward Sanders.

Sanders issued a statement regarding the Little Rock encounter.

“Last week I was having lunch with two other moms at a restaurant when the owner approached a member of the State Police Executive Protection Detail and said my presence made their employees feel threatened and told us to leave. 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.”

The Arkansas State Police provides protection details for the sitting governor. Executive protection units accompany state leaders in public venues. Officers handle security logistics during private and official travel.

The restaurant has not yet responded to requests for comment.