The Brooks Brothers riot was a
demonstration led by
Republican staffers at a meeting of
election canvassers in
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County () is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous coun ...
, on November 22, 2000, during a recount of votes made during the
2000 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2000. Republican Party (United States), Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas, the eldest son of 41st President George H. W. Bush, ...
, with the goal of shutting down the recount. After demonstrations and acts of violence, local officials shut down the recount early.
The name referenced the protesters'
corporate attire, described by
Paul Gigot in an editorial for ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' as "50-year-old white lawyers with cell phones and
Hermès
Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...
ties", differentiating them from local citizens concerned about vote counting.
Many of the demonstrators were Republican staffers.
Both
Roger Stone
Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
and
Brad Blakeman take credit for managing the riot from a command post, although their accounts contradict each other.
Republican New York Representative
John E. Sweeney gave the signal that started the riot,
["Sweeney and the Siege of Miami"](_blank)
''Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'', Timothy Noah, November 28, 2000. Retrieved July 16, 2020. telling an aide to "shut it down".
[Dana Canedy, Dexter Filkins (November 23, 2000)]
"Counting the Vote: Miami-Dade County; A Wild Day in Miami, With an End to Recounting, and Democrats' Going to Court"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
Background
In the
2000 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2000. Republican Party (United States), Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas, the eldest son of 41st President George H. W. Bush, ...
between candidates
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
, in the state of Florida, George W. Bush achieved an election night majority by 1,784 votes, a very close margin. Due to the closeness of the race, and irregularities such as
hanging chads, the Gore campaign successfully advocated for a recount of certain ballots. Miami-Dade County was one of the counties where ballots were recounted.
The Miami-Dade County Democratic Party chairman suspected that thousands of ballots in this county might have been affected by a voting machine glitch.
He suspected that these ballots, after re-tallying, would help candidate Al Gore.
Miami-Dade County official canvassers, in order to meet a court-ordered deadline, decided to limit the county's recount to the 10,750 ballots that their tabulation machines had been unable to tally. They moved the counting process to a smaller room, closer to the ballot-scanning equipment, to speed up the process, at a distance from the media. Republican officials objected to this change.
Demonstration
Hundreds of people, including many
Republican staffers,
descended upon South Florida to protest the state's recounts.
["Mob Scene in Miami"](_blank)
, ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', November 26, 2000 The demonstration was organized by these operatives, sometimes referred to as the "
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers Inc. is an American clothing brand founded in 1818 which is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States. Originally a family business, it is currently owned as a joint venture between Authentic Brands G ...
Brigade", to oppose the recount of
ballot
A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...
s during the
Florida election recount. The official canvassers, to speed up the process and meet their deadline, moved the counting process into a new room, and members of the media were restricted to a distance of 25 feet away.
Republicans objected to this change of plans.
John E. Sweeney of New York, nicknamed "Congressman Kick-Ass" by President Bush for his work in Florida, set the incident in motion by telling an aide to 'stop them'
and to "Shut it down."
The demonstration turned violent and, according to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', "several people were trampled, punched or kicked when protesters tried to rush the doors outside the office of the Miami-Dade supervisor of elections. Sheriff's deputies restored order."
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
aide Luis Rosero claimed to be kicked and punched outside of Leahy's office.
[Dexter Filkins and Dana Canedy]
"Protest Influenced Miami-Dade's Decision to Stop Recount"
, ''The New York Times'', November 24, 2008 Within two hours after the event, the canvassing board unanimously voted to shut down the count, in part due to perceptions that the process was not open or fair, and in part because the court-mandated deadline had become impossible to meet, due to the interference.
Sweeney defended his actions, arguing that his aim was not to stop the hand recount, but to restore the process to public view.
Other Bush supporters acknowledged they hoped to end the recount. "We were trying to stop the recount; Bush had already won," said Evilio Cepero, a reporter for
WAQI
WAQI (710 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Miami, Florida, United States, featuring a Spanish-language Talk radio, talk format known as . Owned by Latino Media Network and formerly operated by Uforia Audio Network, ...
, an influential Spanish talk radio station in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. "We were urging people to come downtown and support and protest this injustice." A Republican lawyer commented, "People were pounding on the doors, but they had an absolute right to get in."
The protest interfered with attendance by official observers and hindered access by members of the press. In a radio interview in Albany on November 28, Sweeney said, "What I essentially told my people is, 'You've got to stop them'." "Whether I said, 'You've got to shut it down' or 'stop them,' I frankly don't quite recall."
Several of the protestors were identified as Republican congressional staffers.
A number of the demonstrators later took jobs in the incoming
Bush administration.
Participants
A partial list:
*
Brad Blakeman, Republican strategist.
* Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Sen.
Jim DeMint
James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of The Heritage Foundation. A leading figure ...
(R-S.C.)
[ Miami 'Riot' Squad: Where Are They Now?](_blank)
, ''Washington Post'', January 24, 2005.
* Duane Gibson, a
Don Young
Donald Edwin Young (June 9, 1933 – March 18, 2022) was an American politician from Alaska. He is the List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service, longest-serving Republican Party (United States), Republican in House ...
aide on the House Resources Committee who worked for
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009.
He was the longest-serving Republican Party (United St ...
, then became a lobbyist associated with
Jack Abramoff
Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted criminal. He was at the center of an extensive federal corruption investigation, which resulted in his conviction and 21 ...
*
Garry Malphrus, who became deputy director of the
White House Domestic Policy Council during the Bush administration
*
Joel Kaplan, who became a
policy advisor
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely televis ...
in the Bush administration, and later President of Global Public Policy for
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms and communication services, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads ...
* Kevin Smith, a former GOP House aide
* Layna McConkey Peltier, a former Senate and House aide
* Marjorie Strayer, an aide to New Mexico's Republican congresswoman, Heather Wilson.
*
Matt Schlapp, a former Rep.
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) House aide, becoming the White House political director during the Bush administration,
and director of the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Poli ...
in 2014.
* Roger Morse, a former House aide who became
a lobbyist
*
Roger Stone
Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
, a self-described "GOP Hitman" and former member of Nixon's
Committee for the Re-Election of the President
The Committee for the Re-election of the President (or the Committee to Re-elect the President, CRP, but often mocked by the acronym CREEP) was, officially, a fundraising organization of United States President Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election ...
* Rory Cooper, a former staffer for the
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the United States Republican Party, Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives.
The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Repub ...
and later the
White House Homeland Security Council
* Steven Brophy, a former GOP Senate aide to Senators
Fred Thompson
Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a Unite ...
,
Bill Frist
William Harrison Frist (born February 22, 1952) is an American physician, businessman, conservationist and policymaker who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1995 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as ...
, and in 2003, Representative
Marsha Blackburn
Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first ...
, and later became V.P. at
Dollar General
Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico.
The company began in 1939 in ...
Steve Brophy honored by Tennessee National Guard
'' Williamson Herald'', Mindy Tate, January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
* Tom Pyle, a former Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, DeLay represented Texas's 22nd congress ...
(R-Tex.) staffer who later worked for Koch Industries
Koch, Inc. () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas, and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiarie ...
Legacy
According to conversations leaked to ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' by journalist and liberal activist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo—who had worked for the Nevada Republican Party
The Nevada Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Nevada. The organization has a history that goes back to 1864. The party currently controls Nevada's Governor of Nevada, governorship, Nevad ...
leading up to and through the November 2020 election under an assumed hard-right, Trumpist persona—a vice president at consultancy McShane LLC claimed that Republican congressman Paul Gosar was planning a "Brooks Brothers Riot" in Arizona to disrupt the counting of votes in the 2020 United States presidential election, and told Ashton-Cirillo to "get the Proud Boys
The Proud Boys is an American far-right politics, far-right, Neo-fascism, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence and militancy: ...
out" for a similar event in Clark County, Nevada
Clark County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (t ...
. Gosar denies having discussed any protests with the McShane vice president.
See also
* 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal
* Ballot Security Task Force, a controversial group founded in 1981 by the Republican National Committee and accused of intimidating voters and discouraging voter turnout among likely Democratic voters in New Jersey.
* ''Bush v. Gore
''Bush v. Gore'', 531 U.S. 98 (2000), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court on December 12, 2000, that settled a recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election between George W ...
'', the 2000 Supreme Court decision deciding the fate of the 2000 United States presidential election.
*
*
*
References
{{United states presidential election and recount, 2000
2000 riots
2000 United States presidential election in Florida
Demonstrations
History of Miami-Dade County, Florida
Protests against results of United States elections
Riots and civil disorder in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Political riots in the United States
Electoral violence in the United States
2000s political riots
2000 in American politics
November 2000 in the United States