TIME Magazine attacked Joe Biden’s press briefing sign language interpeter Heather Mewshaw for wearing pro-Trump apparel and running an online group that “provides sign language accompaniments to right-wing videos.”
“For some members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, the inclusion of Mewshaw in kicking off the new White House initiative soured what should have been purely a moment of excitement,” TIME lamented.
TIME describes Mewshaw’s online group as “soliciting requests from the public” concerning what videos to sign, and, as a result, “the vast majority of videos” from the group are “conservative or pro-Trump”:
While the group frequently solicits requests from the public, the vast majority of videos it has chosen to interpret, with the notable exception of the recent White House press conferences, are conservative or pro-Trump in their sentiment. In a Jan. 20 video titled “Thank You President Trump From the Right Side ASL Team!,” Mewshaw signs along with a compilation video of Trump dancing to the song YMCA.
“Some of these videos have featured vaccine misinformation, conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, and false claims about Michelle Obama being transgender,” TIME adds.
Among the group’s videos attacked by TIME were “a video featuring Mewshaw interpreting Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani posted by the group on the social platform Rumble, an alternative to YouTube popular among conservatives” entitled “WHAT REALLY HAPPENED On January 6th?”
“A video billed as “DR. EXPLAINS COVID VACCINE” shows Mewshaw interpreting another video by Trump-approved Dr. Stella Immanuel” and a video titled “Joe Biden is literally and legally not the President elect” also appear on the page.
Time also linked to the following tweet, exclaiming “this is her” in the “Trump/Pence shirt and the MAGA hat.”
Gather round folks. I have a story to tell you about the interpreter in the current White House Briefing.
This is her. In the Trump/Pence shirt and the MAGA hat. https://t.co/go0FXMIfw8 pic.twitter.com/W89RErON5X
— Jon Henner (@jmhenner) January 25, 2021
