Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano just two weeks before the 2021 insurrection was video taped leading a group in prayer, asking God that the MAGA movement would overthrow the federal government, praying they would “seize the power” and “rise up” on January 6.
Mastriano, increasingly described as a “white Christian nationalist” as his views become more public, is a Pennsylvania state senator who first took office in 2019. He was an Army Colonel, and holds three Masters degrees and a PhD.
Despite his extensive education, Mastriano believes the Constitution does not provide for a separation of church and state, and has promoted QAnon and 9/11 conspiracy theories, as well as Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the presidential election was stolen by Joe Biden.
“Seated before a Revolutionary War flag with the motto ‘An Appeal to Heaven,'” Rolling Stone reports, Mastriano “spoke of the nation’s founding in biblical terms: ‘We remember 1776, our Declaration of Independence, speaking God’s Truth and Word over what would become the United States of America.’ He tied Pennsylvania to God’s divine plan, from the Battle of Gettysbug to the fate of Flight 93, which crashed after a ‘strong Christian man’ confronted Islamist hijackers on 9/11, with the cry, ‘Let’s roll!'”
“We’re surrounded by wickedness and fear, and dithering, and inaction,” Mastriano also says in that December 20, 2020 two-minute video, posted by Heartland Signal (below). “But that’s not our problem. Our problem is following Your lead.”
“God we come up before you in Jesus name and we remember the promises of old and we know we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony and not loving our lives unto death,” he says in the beginning off the clip.”
“I pray that… we’ll seize the power that we had given to us by the Constitution, and as well by You, providentially. I pray for the leaders also in the federal government, God, on the Sixth of January that they will rise up with boldness.”
In July, The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent said Mastriano is “essentially a White Christian nationalist, and pretty open about his desire to bring White Christian nationalism to his understanding (if that’s the right word for it) of how democracy should function.”
“Mastriano,” Sargent continued, “is also running for governor of Pennsylvania on an explicit willingness to subvert future election results — I should say, on an explicit willingness to use the power of the governor’s office to subvert future election results.”
The clip closes with Mastriano saying, “we’ll fight this good fight for freedom. God we stand on the testimony of shoulders of giants I pray God that we will not waver in this time of need when our republic needs us most.”
“God you’re calling forth modern day Esthers and Gideons and I pray that you’ll give us the courage to do so.”
“We think about our elected officials in Pennsylvania who’ve been weak and feckless and we’ve handed over our power to a governor who disregards the freedoms of this Republic, I pray that we’ll take responsibility, we’ll seize the power that we have given to us by the Constitution and as well by you, providentially.”
“I pray for the leaders and also in the federal government guard on the sixth of January that they’ll rise up with boldness you’ll bless these letters that President Trump asked me this morning to send to Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy outlining the fraud in Pennsylvania, and this will embolden them and stand firm and disregard what has happened in Pennsylvania until we have an investigation.”
“God we pray truth will go forth in victory as your truth will go marching on in Jesus name.”
Watch below or at this link.