After 15 years, a Massachusetts nurse felt “forced” to resign from her job following now-viral footage of her involvement in a violent altercation at a pro-Trump Rally.
In the video, Therese Duke, identified by her daughter, is seen getting punched by a security guard in the face.
Duke claims she did nothing wrong. According to The New York Post, on Jan. 5, “she was innocently ‘looking for a place to eat’ in Washington, DC, with ‘like-minded’ Trump supporters when they were accosted by counter-protesters near the White House.”
Witnesses “saw her getting punched in the face, with her sister getting arrested for retaliating on the alleged attacker.”
“I was the one who was assaulted,” Duke said.
However, Ashanti Smith, the security guard, told the court it was self-defense when she plead not-guilty during a same-day arraignment.
Aforementioned, Duke’s identity was given away when her 18-year-old daughter, Helena Duke, mocked her for her attendance.
“Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?” she asked.
Though she stated in an online fundraiser that she’d been “relieved from my employment pending an investigation.” After receiving threats, Duke claims she felt “forced” to leave her UMass Memorial Health Care job.
She believes finding another job, or at least a reputable one will be challenging in the future.
“Anybody can Google me,” she told the Herald. “Nobody will hire me.”
She did not want violence and is adamant about people knowing she was not involved in Jan. 6 riots or with those that broke-in.
She participated to “support Donald Trump and prevent communism and socialism,” calling it “a last-ditch effort to show support because we know the vote was stolen.”
Anne Lorenz, Duke’s sister, was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and punching Smith twice, The Post reported.
