An American Airlines flight heading to the nation’s capital, carrying four Arizona congressmen racing to vote on ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, was forced to make an emergency diversion to Kansas City on Tuesday evening due to an unhinged female passenger.
The woman was shouting about living in a “fascist state” as she was escorted off the plane by law enforcement.
Aboard the flight were Republican Reps. Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, and Democrat Rep. Greg Stanton.
The group was heading to Washington to cast votes on a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government after a 43-day shutdown that left air traffic controllers and other essential workers unpaid.
“Flying to DC rn to vote no on CR that fails to lower health care costs,” Stanton wrote in a post on X about the incident, listing his colleagues who were also on board. “We’re making emergency stop in Kansas City to remove disruptive passenger. None of my colleagues is the disruptor. Freedom Caucus losing its mojo.”
If you’d like to hear her parting words… pic.twitter.com/ZtXAWKEEYn
— Adam Burtner (@Adam_Burtner) November 12, 2025
In a follow-up post, Stanton thanked the Kansas City Police Department: “On a serious note, thank you Kansas City police for handling the situation professionally and without incident.”
On a serious note, thank you Kansas City police for handling the situation professionally and without incident. pic.twitter.com/crhr4yKUZg
— Greg Stanton (@gregstantonaz) November 12, 2025
Stanton was en route to DC to vote against the bill, while his Republican counterparts were voting in favor.
It is unclear what the woman did during the initial disturbance, but as she was removed from the airplane, she can be heard saying, “Sorry folks, we live in a Fascist state.”
The flight resumed after about an hour on the ground.
In a statement about the incident, American Airlines said:
“On Nov. 11, American Airlines flight 1218, with service from Phoenix (PHX) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) diverted to Kansas City (MCI) due to a disruptive customer. Law enforcement met the flight and removed the customer, and the flight later re-departed for DCA, where it landed normally. We thank our customers for their patience and our crew members for their professionalism.”
The House ultimately passed the funding bill on a 222-209 vote, which President Trump signed into law on Wednesday.
The post WATCH: Flight Carrying Four Arizona Congressmen Diverted by Unhinged Passenger Complaining About Living in a ‘Fascist State’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.