David George Haskell (Via Twitter)When University of the South biology professor David George Haskell was hiking with friends Sunday at Stringer’s Ridge near Chattanooga, he ran into a familiar face: Sen. Bob Corker.
Haskell, who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 2012 book “The Forest Unseen,” writes in a blog post that he told Corker he was “deeply ashamed” to be from a state with a senator who would not denounce Donald Trump for boasting of sexual assault.
Corker’s response, according to Haskell: “If you don’t like it, then you should leave the state.”
When contacted, Haskell confirmed to Pith that Corker told him to leave the state multiple times, and said he had three witnesses with him.
The full blog post is worth a read, but some other reported quotes from our Republican senator: “It’s people like you who won’t accept the results of the election who are deeply dividing this country.”
“What have you ever done to contribute to this state?”
Haskell, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from Britain more than two decades ago, concluded the post with a challenge for Corker.
“Take your silence in the face of Trump’s vile words back to your Chattanooga mansion and ponder why a group of hikers — immigrants, women, LGBTQ, and Latinos — would be so distraught to see your smirking countenance sauntering through the woods.
Yes, we are ashamed of you. No, we are not leaving.”
Calls and emails to Corker's office have not yielded a response as of this writing. We'll update if and when they do.
Update: 5:30 p.m.
Corker's side of the story from spokeswoman Micah Johnson:
“While hiking alone yesterday afternoon on Stringer’s Ridge, Senator Corker was aggressively approached by Professor Haskell, who was hiking with three other individuals. Professor Haskell began shouting at Senator Corker in a profanity-laced tirade while pointing a finger in his face and told the senator that he was embarrassed to live in a state where the citizens voted to overwhelmingly elect Donald Trump. Senator Corker calmly suggested to the professor that he did not have to live in Tennessee if he did not wish to do so. Senator Corker believes that if the leadership of Sewanee witnessed the exchange, they would be sorely disappointed in the behavior of someone tasked with leading students.”
