An Iowa House subcommittee meeting on a bill targeting diversity, equity and inclusion was interrupted by a tense exchange with a University of Iowa doctoral candidate who slammed a table, prompting legislators to accuse her of attempted “assault.”
The higher education subcommittee meeting on House Study Bill 542 on Monday, Feb. 9, got heated after Abigail Escatel, who opposed to the bill, appeared to hit the table close to subcommittee chair Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, before authorities forcefully removed her from the room.
Subcommittee members Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, and Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, accused Escatel of attempted “assault.”…