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GOP Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona was the surprise speaker at a Friday night conference in Orlando, Fla., Where speakers broadcast white nationalist rhetoric, organizers denounced the loss of sound ” white demographic core ”by the United States and some called for additional engagement as anger that drove the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill.
Gosar, who skipped votes in the House on Friday – including the vote on the $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package – spoke Friday night at the First U.S. Political Action Conference (AFPAC ), where he blamed former President Donald Trump’s electoral loss on “big business, big tech and the swamp,” and pushed anti-immigration arguments to the crowd of “Groypers,” a loose coalition made up mostly young extremists of the alternative right led by organizer Nick Fuentes.
In the days leading up to the event and while marketing tickets online in part using his Twitter account, Fuentes said there would be a special guest, who turned out to be Gosar. Other speakers on Friday night included former Iowa Rep. Steve King, known for his long history of racist comments, and conservative commentator Michelle Malkin.
After speaking at the event, less than 12 hours later, Gosar was part of a panel on Saturday morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that was simultaneously taking place at AFPAC in the Orlando area. Speaking in a panel moderated by Mercedes Schlapp of CPAC, Gosar criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
At the start of the panel, Gosar – spontaneously and without mentioning Friday’s event or Fuentes by name – tried to distance himself from “racism”.
“I want to tell you, I denounce when we talk about white racism. It is not appropriate. I believe in a strong immigration system,” Gosar said.
Neither Gosar nor representatives from CPAC responded to ABC News’ requests for comment on the congressman’s speech at the AFPAC event.
On Friday night, Gosar’s opening speech was followed by a speech by Fuentes filled with white grievances and far-right anti-immigration rhetoric. “Yes [America] loses its white demographic core… so it’s not America anymore, ”the AFPAC founder told the crowd.
Fuentes continued to praise the attack on the Capitol, bragging about it, causing a delay in the certification of election results.
“While I was there in Washington, outside the building, I saw hundreds of thousands of patriots surrounding the US Capitol building and saw the police retreating … ‘m said,’ This is awesome, ‘”Fuentes said to the applause of the crowd.
And amid security concerns over threats to disrupt President Joe Biden’s expected speech at a joint congressional session, Fuentes further encouraged the kind of engagement the rioters showed on Jan.6.
“To see this Capitol under siege, to see the people of this country rise and mobilize in Washington with pitchforks and torches – we need a little more of this energy in the future,” he said. declared.
Gosar, who was elected to Congress in 2011, has become one of the most far-right Republicans in Washington. In January, the New York Times first reported that a prominent member of a branch of Oath Keepers in Arizona, Jim Arroyo, posted a video on YouTube claiming that Gosar attended one of their meetings. and supported the group’s calls for war in the country.
“We had a meeting a few years ago where our elected representative from Washington, Paul Gosar, came out and we asked him emphatically at that point, ‘Do you think we’re headed for a civil war? “” Said Arroyo. “And his response was simply adamant,” Here we are. We just haven’t started shooting at each other yet. “” Gosar did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.
During the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Gosar posted a message on Twitter calling on protesters not to “get carried away.” But about the Speaking Right service, he shared a much nicer post, using the same photo of people climbing the walls of the Capitol and writing, “Americans are upset.”
Gosar’s appearance at Friday’s event will be another major test for a Republican Party that is drawn between mainstream conservatives and a growing radical extremist element as it seeks a way forward after the pro-Trump attack at the Capitol.
Earlier this month, the House approved a resolution that removed new Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from its assigned committees due to a long history of repelling QAnon’s rhetoric and baseless conspiracy theories, including understood the fact that the Sandy Hook and Parkland shootings were staged “false flag” operations. Green apologized to House members for his earlier comments ahead of the vote.
And former President Trump launched the first blow of his revenge tour on Republicans who voted to impeach him, endorsing Max Miller, a former Trump aide, in his main challenge against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio) , who was one of 10 House Republicans. vote for impeachment.
Trump’s name was a recurring theme at Friday night’s event, with Fuentes also promising to target Republicans who were not loyal enough to the former president.
“He’s one of us,” Fuentes told the crowd.
Friday night’s AFPAC event marked one of the first large gatherings of far-right extremists since the January 6 uprising. The event brought together at least two people, Fuentes and AFPAC President Vincent James Foxx, who were present near the Capitol building during the siege.
Fuentes, who has denied any involvement in the storming of the Capitol himself, was spotted in videos and photos rallying outside the Capitol on January 6. In one video, Fuentes can be seen on a megaphone telling the crowd not to “leave this Capitol. Until Donald Trump is elected president.” Foxx, who said Friday night: “We must not be afraid of the idea of secession, “was photographed with Fuentes on January 6. Neither man has been charged in connection with the riot.
Fuentes, who attended the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, has a long history of racist and anti-Semitic comments. Since the Capitol uprising, a handful of America First followers have been arrested for participating in the January 6 attack.
After spending part of his speech on Friday night celebrating the Capitol Riot, Fuentes at one point attempted to reconsider his remarks.
“I disown all violence. I disown all vandalism. I respect the government which is sovereign over us,” he said – then added, “Alright, I think it will take place in court.”
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