Assemblyman David DiPietro was scheduled to host former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon as a special guest at his fundraiser, after Bannon appeared at a rally in the region next week.

However, Dipietro announced Friday he was canceling the fundraiser at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora. In a release, the Republican said he received threats of violence and potential vandalism to the historical building.

He blamed "radical leftists" for forcing him to cancel the event.

"The vision of this beloved building in flames, swarmed by masked rioters, was too much,” he said.
    
DiPietro said threats came from as far away as Oakland, California and Portland, Oregon. He was told by property managers the campaign would need to provide 30 uniformed officers and a $5 million insurance policy.

The Inn did not return a request for comment.

However, Democrats on social media blasted DiPietro for conjuring destructive imagery as an excuse when they say the community instead had simply rejected the polarizing Bannon.

Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner said, "Today’s accusations and smears are just another attempt to distract voters from the issues that matter to the people and taxpayers of the 147th.”

The Roycrofters-At-Large Association is a group of artisans not directly connected to the for-profit inn. They said they weren't trying to make a political statement but feared that they were being incorrectly linked to the event, which they felt might hurt the brand and they expressed those concerns both to the DiPietro camp and to the inn.

"The fact that although they were misinformed people were, I don't want to say threatening but were certainly making negative comments about affecting the business of our member artisans and musicians and events, this caused me to be concerned," said Roycrofters-at-Large Association President Martha Buyer.