Acting Deputy Department of Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli had some big problems with the way former Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley and failed 2016 presidential candidate loudly badgered him in a bar this week on Thanksgiving Eve — and the encounter is still making news.

From all accounts, O’Malley insulted Cuccinelli on Wednesday night — and Cuccinelli is pushing back.

Close

Both were at The Dubliner, a popular Capitol Hill bar, for a Gonzaga High School class reunion.

Gonzaga is a local D.C. high school.

Cuccinelli told Fox News that O’Malley’s outburst against him was “sad” and “shocking.”

He continued in a statement to Fox News, “I arrived at The Dubliner to meet with some of my Gonzaga classmates … As I walked up to one of the bars among several in The Dubliner to order my Guinness, I heard screaming and cussing behind me to my left, which I did not immediately take notice of other than the fact that it was louder than everything else in the pub.”

Cuccinelli went on, “When I turned to look, I saw O’Malley and he was obviously screaming at me. For a moment I thought he was trying to be funny, as we’ve met before, which I thought was strange. It was immediately clear that he was cursing and screaming for real, to the point of veins bulging on his neck.”

Malley, the former governor, concluded his tirade by calling President Donald Trump a “fascist.”

The Washington Post first reported on the bar incident — and O’Malley actually defended his actions to that publication. He noted that he and other graduates went after Cuccinelli because of the former Trump administration immigration policy that separated families at the southern border.

“We all let him know how we felt about him putting refugee immigrant kids in cages — certainly not what we were taught by the Jesuits at Gonzaga,” O’Malley said in a text to The Post, adding that Cuccinelli is “the son of immigrant grandparents who cages children for a fascist president.”

Do you support President Trump for 2020?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

But O’Malley was apparently so overbearing that Cuccinelli decided to leave the bar and restaurant rather than continue to deal with the rant.

As Cuccinelli also told Fox News in his statement, “I learned on the other side of the pub that Martin’s screaming was so loud that people on the other side of the pub heard him. I also learned from others who have known Martin for years that while his behavior was shocking, it was not new to them.”

By leaving the venue and getting away from that behavior, Cuccinelli was following the wise example set by other conservatives recently, such as former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who have also faced hassles by people on the Left at D.C.-area restaurants over the past year or two.

They decided to leave rather than endure the behavior of local Dems.

Many on the Left have been predictably laudatory in regard to O’Malley’s behavior.

These tweets share more detail.

Not only did O’Malley apparently get out of hand and emote against Cuccinelli and the Trump administration, he went on about “kids in cages.”

So he conveniently forgot that the “cages” (actually mesh enclosures for the security of children) were first used during the presidency of Barack Obama.

Related: Five Really Bad Reactions by Liberals to the Border Crisis

However, liberals seem to feel that even the most everyday task or opportunity for a small bit of personal relaxation has or should have a political component.

As such, they do not think it at all odd to interrupt a family during a meal, or a person at a class reunion, with insults and behavior so rude as to make people leave the establishment.

This kind of boorish attitude and behavior is the stuff of junior high school. It shouldn’t happen from adults, many of them in elected office or in government.

But, alas, given their noted maturity level, it is no surprise this sort of thing is coming from those on the modern Left.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette.