Christian Conservatives Cream Christie For Dropping Same-Sex Marriage Challenge
Christian conservatives today creamed New Jersey governor Chris Christie for dropping his state Supreme Court same-sex marriage appeal, which effectively makes the Garden State the fourteenth to officially extend marriage to same-sex couples.
Matt Drudge’s The Drudge Report ran a headline (image, above) that claimed “Christie embraces gay marriage in NJ…” Noah Rothman, a conservative writer for Mediaite, deemed the title “more than just misleading,” and called it “downright false.” The Drudge Report is a conservative media outlet that is currently ranked number 93 in the nation and reaches about 23 million people a month, according to Quantcast.
“It’s definitely not a profile in courage,†Brian Brown, president of NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, told Politico.
“You’ve got a court in New Jersey that doesn’t understand that it’s supposed to be interpreting the law, not making it up out of thin air,†he added. “And then the candidate and governor who’s prided himself on he’s gonna do what’s right, he’s gonna tell it like it is, he’s gonna lead, just simply withdraws his appeal because he doesn’t think there’s a likelihood of succeeding? There’s no doubt it’s going to effect him [politically in a 2016 primary].â€
And on NOM’s front page, Brown continued his attack on Christie, saying “we are extremely disappointed in Governor Chris Christie for withdrawing the state’s appeal of the underlying decision, effectively throwing in the towel on marriage. The mark of a leader is to walk a principled walk no matter the difficulty of the path. Chris Christie has failed the test, abandoning both voters and the core institution of society – marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
“It’s a sad day for the voters of New Jersey,” said Brown. “An activist judiciary has once again imposed its views and ignored the rights of voters. We will continue to fight for the right of New Jersey voters to determine the definition of marriage. Regrettably, Governor Christie’s decision to surrender on marriage reveals him to be a man who lacks the courage of his supposed convictions. As far as we are concerned, it’s a disqualifying failure. His surrender on marriage effectively surrenders any chance he might have had to secure the GOP nomination for president.”
Certified anti-gay hate group Family Research Council also creamed Christie.
“Family Research Council is disappointed by Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to withdraw the state’s appeal of a lower court order redefining marriage,†FRC senior fellow Peter Sprigg reportedly told The Daily Caller. “The fact that the Supreme Court refused to stay the lower court’s order is no excuse for failing to litigate this important issue to a final conclusion on the merits.â€
Sprigg of the Family Research Council said the episode indicates that Christie is an “unreliable ally for true conservatives.â€
“We are glad that Gov. Christie vetoed the legislature’s attempt to redefine marriage, and that he was initially willing to defend the state’s marriage law in court,†he said.
“However, conservatives are looking for leaders who will stay the course and fight for unchanging principles, not throw in the towel when faced with opposition,†Sprigg said. “Combined with his signing of a radical bill to outlaw even voluntary sexual orientation change efforts with minors, today’s action has marked Gov. Christie as an unreliable ally for true conservatives.â€
Of course, Sprigg, an ordained Baptist minister, has made clear he would criminalize gay people and outlaw gay behavior if given the chance, so his “disappointment” is unsurprising.
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Prominent podcaster Joe Rogan warned that the handling of the Epstein files “looks terrible” for President Donald Trump and his administration.
“During Tuesday and Thursday’s episodes, Rogan criticized redactions the Department of Justice made from the files,” The Hill reported.
“Who knows what f — — happens with all this Epstein files s — —,” he said, according to video of his streaming show. “It just keeps getting crazier and crazier and crazier and deeper and deeper.”
“Why would your name be redacted if you’re not a victim?” Rogan also asked. “Like, this is what’s crazy about all this. Like, how come you redact some people and you don’t redact other people?”
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Far-right extremist livestreamer Nick Fuentes — who leads a “Groyper” following of mostly young men and brands himself “America First” — is putting President Donald Trump on notice ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“I won’t even consider voting in the midterms unless the Epstein Files are fully unredacted, mass deportations resume, and we don’t go to war with Iran,” wrote Fuentes, who has 1.2 million followers on the X social media platform.
Some of Trump’s MAGA allies were furious this week as Attorney General Pam Bondi deflected numerous questions in a congressional hearing on that very topic.
Even before Bondi’s widely-criticized performance, Fuentes had called for her impeachment.
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Fuentes has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “white nationalist,” an “admirer of fascists,” and someone who “frequently relies on antisemitic tropes.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, “Fuentes has used his platforms to make numerous antisemitic, racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments,” and spreads “white supremacist propaganda.”
President Trump “has not condemned Fuentes,” and Vice President JD Vance “has only criticized him for attacking his wife,” The Week reported last month. “But Vance also appears keen to avoid alienating young Fuentes supporters, who could help him secure the GOP presidential nomination in 2028.”
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Image via Reuters
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Trump’s pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson praised the move, which covers cases including those involving drug-related offenses and perjury convictions, according to The Guardian,
“Today, the President granted pardons to five former NFL players—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late great Dr. Billy Cannon,” wrote Johnson. “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation.”
Johnson went on to applaud the president “for his continued commitment to second chances.”
“Mercy changes lives,” she added.
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The Cato Institute on Wednesday had said the scope and magnitude of Trump’s “blizzard” of pardons are “unprecedented.”
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“In other words,” Cato’s Dan Greenberg wrote, “even putting aside the rioters’ collective pardon, Trump is now issuing pardons at eight times the rate Biden did.”
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Greenberg put Trump’s pardons into several categories.
He noted that Biden’s pardons eliminated about $680,000 in penalties owed to victims or the federal government, whereas Trump’s pardons have wiped away about $1.5 billion.
Greenberg also said that “Trump has normalized the pardoning of disgraced politicians, such as former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez (who orchestrated a spree of state-sponsored drug trafficking leading to a 45-year prison term),” and others, such as Nevada legislator Michele Fiore, Virginia sheriff Scott Jenkins, Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, and Arkansas legislator Jeremy Hutchinson.
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Image via Reuters
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