Joe Biden’s administration is adding an American Sign Language interpreter to its daily press briefings. In a plot twist that accompanied the announcement, the woman that Press Secretary Jen Psaki introduced on Monday as “today’s interpreter Heather” is reportedly a Trump supporter.
According to various media reports, Heather Mewshaw allegedly manages the pro-Trump Hands of Liberty Facebook page, which purportedly was known as Right Side ASL before its page was deleted.
“‘Joe Biden is literally and legally not the President-elect,’ read the headline on one Facebook video from December in which another interpreter in Mewshaw’s group interprets comments made by right-wing personality Candace Owens,” Time magazine reported.
An existing Hands of Liberty Facebook page (possibly a different one) contains minimal content, however, so either it was scrubbed or the actual page in question may have been taken down entirely.
Mewshaw allegedly signed to videos that include “vaccine misinformation” and controversial viewpoints, among other things, about the Election 2020 outcome that run counter to the mainstream media narrative.
Neither Mewshaw nor the White House has, as yet, provided a response to media inquiries.
The White House has added to its press briefings an ASL interpreter, who can be viewed on the official YouTube feed
Press Sec. Psaki: ‘The president is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just, and more accessible for every American.’ pic.twitter.com/4YVtNK19oe
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 26, 2021
Prof. John Henner of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, who is deaf, took to Twitter to call attention to the ASL interpreter in question.
“For me, it would be problematic for someone who has aligned herself with alt-right discourses to be the public face of the White House for the deaf communities and people who are curious about ASL,” he wrote in an email.
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
Prof. Henner went on to question the interpreter’s integrity for this particular job as a Trump supporter, but claimed that he wasn’t attempting to cancel her.
But I am wondering if this interpreter who shall be unnamed is appropriate to work for the Biden government? I personally cannot trust the integrity of her interpretation. That means I have no reason to trust what the Press Secretary says if it's coming through her hands.
— Jon Henner (@jmhenner) January 25, 2021
Leftists have already launched a Change.org petition to get “notorious Trump supporter” Mewshaw canceled from the White House gig. The petition has recorded about 1,000 signers so far. Assuming that it speaks for everyone, the petition claims that “The Deaf Community is outraged when they saw her presence.” A counter-petition to keep her as a White House ASL interpreter has also started, but it has only a small number of signers as of this writing.
According to her bio, Heather Mewshaw has worked as a professional sign language interpreter for 20-plus years and holds several occupational certifications.
The premise that a Trump-supporting ASL interpreter for the Biden administration poses a conflict of interest generated a mixed response on social media:
As an interpreter and translator, I take issue with your premise. Anyone on the job deserves to be considered truly professional until proven otherwise
— Iza Orkwis (@IzaOrkwis) January 25, 2021
This!! It is a violation of trust and the code of conduct for interpreters, absolutely a conflict of interest AND she should have never have accepted this given her affiliations with the MAGA group and the right wing propaganda that she pushed on the Deaf community.
— Rose Voss Clifford (@RoseDav18220146) January 26, 2021
If she can interpret neutrally, then there’s really no problem. The deaf community, myself included can understand her and as a POC it’s nice to have that diversity. PLUS, she’s a CODA. #TerpUp
— Helen (@Helen64820028) January 27, 2021
RIGHT!! PROFESSIONALISM EXISTS. It’s wrong to tarnish her professional name because of her personal life. She matched the register of the speaker perfectly.
— Helen (@Helen64820028) January 27, 2021
Watch an ASL interpreter that is allegedly Heather Mewshaw sign in a pro-Trump video:
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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”
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