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GOP EXTREMISM

‘Fired for Praying for the Poor’: Paul Ryan Under Attack for Forcing House Chaplain to Resign

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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is facing fire for forcing the House Chaplain to resign. Various sources deliver differing reasons for the termination, but critics are all in agreement that Ryan is wrong.

“As you have requested, I hereby offer my resignation as the 60th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives,” House Chaplain Patrick Conroy wrote in an the April 15 letter to Speaker Ryan. The Hill obtained a copy of the letter, and reports, “Conroy, who has served as chaplain since 2011, declined to comment on Thursday. His resignation is effective May 24.”

“Four different sources — two from each party — say Conroy was told that he must retire or that he would be dismissed.”

One “Democratic lawmaker said that the Speaker took issue with a prayer on the House floor that could have been perceived as being critical of the GOP tax-cut bill,” The Hill adds.

Another source told The Hill some “conservative evangelical Republicans didn’t like that the Father had invited a Muslim person to give the opening prayer.”

Whatever the reason, many Democratic and Republican lawmakers are furious. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she told Speaker Ryan she objected to the termination and believed he would not go through with it once she voiced her disapproval.

Outside the House, many others are expressing upset and anger.

UPDATE: ‘RELIGIOUS FREEDOM’ REPUBLICANS REJECT RESOLUTION TO INVESTIGATE WHY RYAN FIRED HOUSE CHAPLAIN

Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine, James Martin, SJ:

The famous “Nun on a Bus,” Sister Simone Campbell:

More responses:

Image via Wikipedia

 

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GOP EXTREMISM

Insurrection ‘Truther’ Marjorie Taylor Greene: FBI Was ‘Involved in Organizing and Carrying Out the Capitol Riot’

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is attacking the Federal Bureau of Investigation, falsely claiming its “operatives…were involved in organizing and carrying out the Jan 6th Capitol riot.”

Like her extremist friends on the far right Greene has become an “insurrection truther,”  like the 9/11 truthers who insist the attack by bin Laden was actually an “inside job” by the U.S. government, which is false.

“We need names and answers about the FBI operatives, who were involved in organizing and carrying out the Jan 6th Capitol riot,” Greene tweeted Wednesday. “First they had a ‘back up plan’ to stop Trump in Russia Collusion witch hunt, now we are finding out they were deeply involved in Jan 6th. Deep State.”

None of her claims are true. She appears to be basing her accusation on a Tuesday night Fox News segment by white supremacist host Tucker Carlson.

She attached a tweet from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is under DOJ investigation and clearly has an ax to grind against the Dept. of Justice and FBI.

In the clip (below) former FBI Assistant Director For Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi says the Bureau may need to arrest sitting members of Congress for domestic terrorism, a reasonable response if any took any part in the January 6 insurrection to overturn the election in a violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, also known as a “coup.”

Carlson went ballistic, twisting Figliuzzi’s words, and then – based on zero evidence, said, “How about rounding up the FBI operatives who rioted on January 6.”

 

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GOP EXTREMISM

Old-School Republican on GOP: ‘A Complete Break from Reality’ Concerning Pelosi

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President-elect Donald J. Trump and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi smile for a photo during the 58th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2017. More than 5,000 military members from across all branches of the armed forces of the United States, including reserve and National Guard components, provided ceremonial support and Defense Support of Civil Authorities during the inaugural period. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Marianique Santos)

Kurt Bardella, a former press secretary for Republican Olympia Snowe, told MSNBC on Friday that when it came to Nancy Pelosi, the Republican Party had had “a complete break from reality.”

“The GOP talking point this morning is that Nancy Pelosi is peacocking for her colleagues, blocking negotiations to look strong, shore up support for her speakership,” said Ayman Mohyeldin, noting that Republicans have historically strongly disliked the incoming House Speaker. “Is that a smart strategic move to say that the left, or the Democrats have a left wing within their party that is making Nancy Pelosi take this hardened position?”

“They can try to say that, but it’s a complete break from what’s actually happening in reality, and I just don’t think anybody’s going to buy that anyway,” replied Bardella. “Nancy Pelosi’s position since the election has been strong. There is not a real severe legitimate challenger to her speakership.”

He added that the Republicans were deluding themselves about her position on the budget as well.

“The reality is that something that the Republicans can not escape from: they had a deal. The Senate passed it unanimously,” he pointed out. “This is all on the House Republicans.” He slammed Speaker Paul Ryan by name for refusing to bring the Senate bill to the floor, and said the party’s refusal to work with Pelosi put the president in an even more precarious position.

“When the Democrats take back the majority in six days, they’re going to put up a bill, they’re going to pass it, and once again Donald Trump is going to be in a position wheres he’s going have to veto a bill that could end the shutdown. He’ll own it twice,” Bardella said, scoffing at his own party. “It’s not going to work. the American people are not going to buy that it is some how all Nancy Pelosi’s fight, because the reality is this started before she was speaker.

Watch the video here.

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GOP EXTREMISM

Exposed: New GOP Nominee Ron DeSantis Manages Hate-Filled Facebook Group That Promotes Racism: Report

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Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis is an administrator of a Facebook group that promotes racist and “deep state” conspiracy theories.

American Ledger — a corruption watchdog news site — reported Wednesday that DeSantis is one of 52 administrators and moderators for the “Tea Party” Facebook group that is also co-run by failed Arizona Senate candidate Kelli Ward.

The GOP candidate’s participation in the large administrator pool was first revealed on Tuesday by Media Matters extremism researcher Natalie Martinez, who posted screenshots of a string of DeSantis campaign posts in the group. She later learned that another administrator named the candidate as one of the group’s admins.

The “Tea Party” group has nearly 95,000 members, the Ledger reported. In the past, group members have posted about the “ghetto scum” that is Black Lives Matter and made fun of the Parkland massacre survivors.

“One member believed the violent far-right rally of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017 was a hoax,” the report noted, “writing in a post liked by 1,600 users that the rally was ‘orchestrated by the left’ to ‘destroy America.’”

Ward and her husband Michael were revealed to be administrators of the group in early July by Media Matters. Michael Ward was known to share posts from the candidate’s (verified) Facebook page and once called John McCain a “strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

After winning the GOP gubernatorial primary a day prior, DeSantis made headlines Wednesday after saying people who voted for his Democratic opponent — Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum — would “monkey up” the state.

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license

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