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Sean Spicer tells woman in Apple Store “such a great country that allows you to be here”

A woman of Indian heritage who confronted Sean Spicer at an Apple Store over the weekend received a strange comment from the White House press secretary. It’s “such a great country that allows you to be here,” Spicer said, smiling uncomfortably.

The woman, 33-year-old Shree Chauhan, was born in New York.

Chauhan, who streamed video of their interaction on Periscope, wrote in a blog post on Medium that she decided to confront Spicer when she saw him shopping at the store, where she was waiting to get her iPhone fixed. Chauhan, a D.C. resident who works in education, says she was also behind the protest that briefly blocked education secretary Betsy DeVos from entering a D.C. middle school last month.

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“How does it feel to work for a fascist? How does it feel?” Chauhan asked Spicer, who was browsing Apple products and appeared to be alone. “Have you helped with the Russia stuff? Are you a criminal as well? Have you committed treason too, just like the president?”

“Thank you,” Spicer said, smiling. “Thank you. Such a great country that allows you to be here.”

Chauhan, who did not return a request for comment, writes on Medium that she believes Spicer intended the statement as a threat.

“I was not polite. But when does being impolite mean that I should be thrown out of the United States of America? The country I was born in, the country I was raised in, the country I love despite its flaws,” Chauhan said on Medium.

Spicer, the tech blog Gizmodo points out, appeared to purchase an Apple watch before he left the store. Neither Spicer nor the White House has responded to requests for comment.