WASHINGTON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders being asked to leave a restaurant in Virginia Friday evening by its owner has triggered a furious debate over the politically charged incident.
Sanders described the encounter the next morning, tweeting, "Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so."
The acronym referred to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The owner of the restaurant, Stephanie Wilkinson, gave her version.
She said she was notified of Sanders' visit by some of her gay staff, who were uncomfortable serving a member of the administration allegedly unfriendly to gays.
They were also not happy with the way the White House has been dealing with illegal immigrants in recent months, particularly after border patrol agents began separating adult immigrants from their children.
Wilkinson said she took Sanders aside and asked her to leave, a request the White House staffer complied with. The party was not charged for the food they were served before their departure.
Wilkinson said the whole episode had been cordial until the news went viral on the internet.
In the following weekend, debates erupted on media panels and social media alike, as pundits and people expressed their support, dismay or even anger at Wilkinson's gesture.
Mike Huckabee, Sanders' father and former governor of Arkansas, was one of the first to come to his daughter's aid.
"Bigotry. On the menu at Red Hen Restaurant in Lexington VA," he tweeted. "Or you can ask for the 'Hate Plate'. And appetizers are 'small plates for small minds.'"
The Washington Post, a mainstream media that disagrees with the Trump administration more often than not, surprisingly weighed in on Sanders' side, issuing an editorial saying even controversial public figures should have their private life protected.
"It wasn't the first time recently that strong political feelings have spilled into what used to be considered private sphere. We understand the strength of the feelings, but we don't think the spilling is a healthy development," the article said, recalling recent instances when Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller were heckled at Washington restaurants.
There was criticism of Sanders too, with some questioning her action of calling out the restaurant on social media.
Walter Shaub, former head of Office of Government Ethics, said it was potentially illegal.
"Sanders used her official government account to condemn a private business for personal reasons. Seeks to coerce business by using her office to get public to pressure it," Shaub said.
Barbara Lee, a Democratic Congresswoman, told U.S. media Sunday that the Office of Government Ethics should investigate Sanders for using her official Twitter account to attack the restaurant.
Of all the consequences of the incident, perhaps the most unintended was the experience other businesses by the same name faced.
A Vermont bakery and three restaurants in New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington D.C., also named Red Hen, were wrongly targeted by confused Trump supporters.
Shelley Deproto, who owns the Red Hen in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, said she became aware of Sanders' experience only after receiving angry calls. She said she also received fake bookings and take-out orders, threats, and bad reviews on social media.
At the Red Hen in Swedesboro, New Jersey, Operating Manager Elizabeth Pope said angry comments and bad reviews flooded the restaurant's Facebook page.
"People have no idea. They've dropped our rating from a 4.8 stars to three-point-something," Pope said.
