"Will you be the president who helped put an end to the plastic pollution crisis, or someone who let it spiral further out of control?"

"Had this guy fought back, he certainly would have been charged for assaulting a congressman," said one critic. "This is BS and Rep. Higgins should be charged."

"We will never trade our First Amendment rights for cheap political points," said the civil liberties group.

"The American people expect their elected representatives to hold their colleagues to a higher ethical standard and punish those who violate the public's trust," said Stand Up America's Brett Edkins.