Here's why you keep hearing about downtown D.C. bar Harry's.

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Here's why you keep hearing about downtown D.C. bar Harry's. https://dcist.com/story/20/12/15/harrys-bar-trump-supporters-fines-covid-downtown/

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DEC 15, 10:43 AM

Here’s Why You Keep Hearing About Harry’s Bar

Nathan Diller https://twitter.com/nateclaydiller

against unfounded claims of a “stolen election,” clashing with counterprotesters, one local establishment was again at the center of many headlines: Harry’s.

Four people were stabbed near the bar on Saturday and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. As of Monday, a 29-year-old D.C. man and a 39-year-old man from Minnesota had been arrested in connection with the incident, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. This marks the third time Harry’s has landed in news reports in recent months over its connection to Trump supporters, large crowds gathered there, and more.

D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration slapped the bar with $2,000 in fines for failing to comply with the city’s COVID-19 restrictions in November, after scores of pro-Trump guests dined there maskless last month on a day of protests in support of the president. And in October, a video went viral showing maskless patrons — who were drinking nearly shoulder to shoulder — chanting “back the blue” as four Metropolitan Police Department officers walked through the packed bar. That video even got a retweet from Trump himself.

So what’s the deal with Harry’s? The bar, which opened in 1994 and leases its space from the historic Hotel Harrington, has become a go-to spot for pro-Trump groups in recent years, in part because of its less pricey drinks and close proximity to the Trump International Hotel, another popular, though more expensive, watering hole for the president’s supporters.

Republican political consultant and commentator Harlan Hill told Washingtonian in January, “For us, it’s more of an after-hours place. After the Trump closes, we’ll typically end up there if we’re going to have a late night. You’ll see familiar faces: other people who do Fox, some congressmen, but it’s not as common as at the Trump.”

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This story has been updated with more information about ABRA violations at Harry’s.