Texas Rep. John Carter's office vandalized with 'Free Gaza,' red liquid

Texas Rep. John Carter's office vandalized

U.S. Rep John Carter shared a photo on X of the front door of his Georgetown office covered in red liquid and the words "Free Gaza" spray-painted on the floor.

GEORGETOWN, Texas - U.S. Rep John Carter (R-Texas) says his Georgetown office was vandalized recently.

Carter posted a photo of the vandalism to his X (formerly Twitter) account. The front door of his office had been splashed with a red liquid, possibly paint, and on the sidewalk in front, the words "Free Gaza" were spray-painted in red.

"My first thought was they got in here and broke some things, and tore up the computers or something like that. That would have been much worse," says Congressman John Carter.

Photo courtesy: Rep. John Carter on X

In his post, Carter says the vandalism was perpetrated by "[u]nhinged anti-Israel activists."

"Unhinged anti-Israel activists vandalized my Georgetown office. Let me make 2 things clear, my support for Israel is unwavering & your intimidation won’t work. Secondly, the parties responsible will be found & will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. #StandWithIsrael," reads the entire post.

Georgetown police officers were sent to the Congressman's office around 8:47 a.m. for a possible burglary. GPD says it is actively investigating the vandalism as criminal mischief.

"I didn't see it at all, actually. As soon as I saw the picture, I called up here," says Carter.

A representative from Carter's office estimated the cost of cleaning up the damages to be around $2,000, Georgetown police say. Under Texas law, criminal mischief is a Class A misdemeanor if the loss is between $750 and $2,500.

"It’s because I’m a congressman, and we were voting on Israel, funds for Israel, and they were trying to intimidate me," said Carter. "In fact, nobody can intimidate me for any reason. I spent 20 years dealing with bad people and I didn't get intimidated by them."

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact Georgetown police at CID@georgetown.org.

The incident came two days after Carter was one of 366 U.S. House members to vote yes on H. R. 8034, or the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024. Fifty-eight people voted no and seven chose not to vote.

The bill has passed the House and now heads to the Senate.

H.R. 8034 would provide $26.38 billion in aid to Israel. It also includes provisions that would expand the authority of the President to transfer defense articles and services from DOD to foreign countries or international organizations, and prohibit funds from being used for payments to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency.

The Anti-Defamation League in Austin also weighed in on the crime, saying these actions do not promote a solution.

"We just want to urge people to think about their own community's here at home and what these kinds of demonstrating behaviors do to other people when they see them. I mean it is a really shocking image to see that kind of blood spattering on somebody’s door, regardless of whoever the elected official is," says Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Jackie Nirenberg.

The crime happened on the same day as Passover, the Jewish holiday used to reflect on the past.

"We have been in difficult situations before, and I want to urge my fellow community members to remember this, these situations will come to an end," says Nirenberg.

The congressman says the suspects will be found and prosecuted for their actions.

"It is definitely a felony to deface a building like that. Of course, I believe in swift and tough justice," says Carter.

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