The Arizona GOP has a white nationalist problem

Rep. Paul Gosar, Arizona’s most embarrassing congressman, has endorsed former state legislator Kelli “Chemtrails” Ward for the U.S. Senate over his colleague Rep. Martha McSally. Paul Gosar endorses Kelli Ward for Senate, attacks Martha McSally’s GOP credentials. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

The real story here is Paul Gosar’s white nationalism and Kelli “Chemtrails” Ward’s embrace of the same. (Here they are together hobnobbing with Cliven Bundy during his standoff with the government. Republican Legislators Caravan To The Bundy Ranch). Their connection runs through white nationalist Steve Bannon and his wealthy benefactors, Robert and Rebekkah Mercer.

Earlier this year, white nationalist Steve Bannon endorsed Ward as well. Bannon endorses Ward. After doing campaign events together, Ward subsequently publicly distanced herself from Bannon after the former Breitbart chief fell out of favor with the White House and many Republicans after he criticized members of President Donald Trump’s family in Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury.” Kelli Ward distances herself from Bannon and Arpaio.

Bannon is gone, but Ward’s embrace of his white nationalist politics remains the same.

Just last week, Bannon’s former wealthy benefactor at Breitbart, Robert Mercer cut a $500,000 check to a super PAC backing Arizona Senate hopeful Kelli “Chemtrails” Ward. Megadonor boosts Ward in Arizona Senate race:

Mercer, a reclusive billionaire and a former hedge fund executive, has emerged as a major Ward benefactor. With his latest contribution, he has given KelliPAC a total of $800,000 in support of Ward this election cycle.

Mercer also funded Ward during the 2016 election season, when she waged an unsuccessful primary challenge against Sen. John McCain.

Mercer and his daughter, Bekah, have been major funders of conservative, anti-establishment causes, including Trump’s 2016 campaign and Breitbart News.

Last weekend during Trump’s disastrous trip to Great Britain, Rep. Paul Gosar was also there, at a London rally in support of a jailed anti-Muslim, ant-immigrant activist, Tommy Robinson. GOP lawmaker speaks at rally for jailed anti-Muslim activist in UK:

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) spoke at a London rally in support of a jailed anti-Muslim activist, invoking the First Amendment and arguing for free speech.

Gosar spoke at a “Free Tommy Robinson” rally on Sunday.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is a founder of the anti-Muslim English Defense League, which has organized violent protests against Muslim immigrants.

Robinson was arrested for violating an English law that limits publicity of criminal trials after attempting to film outside a courthouse where a child molestation case was taking place. He was sentenced to 13 months in jail.

“I understand, like me, you’re all concerned about making your country great again,” Gosar, a supporter of President Trump, said at the rally.

He said that he “could not stay silent” about Robinson’s case and encouraged others to lobby for his freedom.

“We know that these men are from commonly Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Muslim backgrounds,” Gosar said of the molesting case that Robinson was attempting to film. The lawmaker called on members of those communities to “speak out.”

“What do we want? We want Tommy out,” Gosar said.

Video Link

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Breitbart London earlier reported in June, EXCLUSIVE — Congressman Gosar: U.S. Should Intervene over ‘Persecution’ of Tommy Robinson:

Speaking just days after he entered a Congressional statement on the treatment of UK activist-journalist and former street organiser Tommy Robinson, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar (R) told Breitbart London that he hopes the U.S. government will intervene over the case, which has been subject to reporting restrictions and widespread speculation in the United Kingdom.

Gosar-StatementCongressman Gosar expressed his concern about the arrest of Mr Robinson on Tuesday, noting “I am well aware that England does not share our free speech values” and calling the English court system “part of the problem” in comments that have gone viral on Twitter.

Doubling down and expressing himself in even stronger terms, the Congressman told Breitbart London: “I certainly hope the United States intervenes and speaks up over the persecution of Tommy Robinson.

“I think the injustice of not being able to bring light to the situation dissolves all equitable application of the rule of law.”

* * *

Concluding his Congressional remarks earlier this week, Rep. Gosar made reference to the 1995 film Braveheart and said despite breaking the law, Tommy Robinson remained a patriot. He said: “Dissent is patriotic when the ruling class are illegitimate and oppressive. The ruling class in England appears fearful of the truth.

“When it bans discussion, and when it criminalizes the truth, any such government can fairly be labeled as both oppressive and tyrannical. I object to the suppression of the truth. England has a proud history and America is its progeny, but it needs to take back its liberty and freedom. ‘It’s all for nothing if you don’t have freedom’.”

The Phoenix New Times adds, Arizona Congressman Vilifies Muslims at London Rally for Jailed, Far-Right Activist:

Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar vilified Muslims in hyperbolic terms at a London rally for an imprisoned far-right English activist.

Gosar, a Republican from Prescott, referred to the activist, Tommy Robinson, as an unjustly imprisoned “citizen journalist.”

Speaking to a cheering crowd on Saturday, Gosar also condemned “disgusting and depraved individuals” from Muslim immigrant communities whom he said carry out widespread sexual abuse. “We know these men come from commonly Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Muslim backgrounds,” Gosar said.

At the end of Gosar’s approximately eight-minute speech, the crowd chanted, “We want Tommy out!” and the congressman joined in. On stage at the rally, banners with Robinson’s likeness portrayed him as a martyr, calling him a “Freedom Fighter” and “National Hero.”

And who else promotes Robinson as a national hero? White nationalist Steve Bannon. Steve Bannon calls for Tommy Robinson to be released from prison:

Steve Bannon, the former adviser to Donald Trump, has defended the jailed far-right leader Tommy Robinson, saying that he didn’t think he was “a bad guy” and that “he’s got to be released from prison”.

Bannon’s remarks came during an interview with LBC radio’s political editor, Theo Usherwood.

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In response to Bannon’s comments about Robinson, Usherwood said: “But he broke the law!” To which Bannon replied: “A lot of people would say that law is very restrictive.”

* * *

The politician-turned-presenter Nigel Farage was also there during the LBC interview and attempted to move the conversation along. He ended the row by saying: “I take the view as well that Tommy broke the law.”

After the interview, Usherwood claimed on Twitter that Bannon said to him off-air: “Fuck you. Don’t you fucking say you’re calling me out. You fucking liberal elite. Tommy Robinson is the backbone of this country.”

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In the same interview, Bannon told listeners they were “going to have to fight to take your country back.”

The former strategist to the US president told Farage: “If I was in middle England and said this wasn’t what I voted for I would rise up and make sure the guys in parliament knew it.”

He added: “Whether it’s Italy, France, England, or the United States, if we quit, they’re going to be in control.”

When asked whether it was a call to arms, he said: “Absolutely.”

Does Rep. Gosar share Bannon’s call to arms?

The Trump White House is also treating this anti-Muslim, ant-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson as a cause célèbre.  Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, complained to the British ambassador in Washington D.C. about the treatment of Tommy Robinson. Trump’s ambassador lobbied Britain on behalf of jailed right-wing activist Tommy Robinson:

Brownback raised the case of the activist known as Tommy Robinson in a June meeting with Sir Kim Darroch, Britain’s Ambassador to the United States, according to a British official and two sources close to the organizers of a pro-Robinson demonstration planned for London on Saturday.

* * *

Brownback raised the jailing of Robinson during a meeting with Darroch that covered a range of “religious freedom issues,” the British official confirmed earlier this week.

Brownback told Darroch that if Britain did not treat Robinson more sympathetically, the Trump administration might be compelled to criticize Britain’s handling of the case, according to the two sources in contact with organizers of the planned pro-Robinson demonstration.

* * *

Brownback, who is a former governor of Kansas and former U.S. senator, was not available for comment. However, on Thursday a U.S. State Department spokesman said the “characterizations” of Brownback’s meeting with Darroch by Reuters sources were “completely false” but the spokesman did not elaborate further.

The British Embassy had no comment on further details of the discussion.

Last week, the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia group, said it was sponsoring and organizing a “Free Tommy Robinson” demonstration in London near the British Parliament on Saturday in collaboration with British and European groups.

The event was expected to merge with a demonstration in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, who appointed Brownback, according to the British newspaper The Independent.

Demonstration organizers said in a leaflet which circulated in London this week that Republican U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar and Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders were scheduled to speak at its rally. U.S. Congressman Gosar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Wilders tweeted on Thursday that he would not attend the rally because the U.K. Ambassador to the Netherlands, Peter Williams, told Dutch authorities Britain would not provide security for him.

Well, lucky for them that Rep. Paul Gosar did attend their rally!

A spokesman for Hope Not Hate, a British anti-racism group, said, “In the week President Trump comes to the UK, his hand-picked diplomat allying himself with a far-right convicted fraudster perhaps shouldn’t be too much of a shock.”

Rep. Paul Gosar and Kelli “Chemtrails” Ward represent a white nationalist cancer in the Arizona GOP. Republicans must disown them and advocate for their defeat, or admit that this is who you really are. It’s a time for choosing.

4 thoughts on “The Arizona GOP has a white nationalist problem”

  1. Martha McSally thinks she has already won the GOP Primary. And she’s already going negative on Kyrsten Sinema, as of yesterday.

    McSally For Senate Verified account
    @MarthaMcSally

    If Liberal @kyrstensinema really wanted to secure Arizona’s border, she’d stop talking a big game and actually roll up her Prada sleeves and get to work. #AZSEN

    1:00 PM – 17 Jul 2018

    • Referring to Ms. Sinema as a “Prada socialist” is a right wing smear that Martha McSally has co-opted.

      I’m actually a little taken aback by Martha sinking this low right now. She really is a nasty piece of work.

  2. Following in the distinguished footsteps of Trent Franks, Gosar and Ward, and the equally terrible Paul Mosely, three completely odious personalities. This is what absolutely blind voting gets you.

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