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The Club for Growth, a billionaire-funded anti-tax group, was the main funder of Andy Harris, the Republican lawmaker who sought to carry a gun in the House of Representatives.
Harris, a doctor who represents Maryland’s East Shore, has received about $ 345,000 from people associated with the Club for Growth since right-wing activists helped get it elected in 2010, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The latest revelation about the Club for Growth’s support for Harris comes after the Guardian revealed last week that the group, led by former Republican Congressman David McIntosh, was a major financial backer of 42 of the Republicans seeking to invalidate the victory of Joseph Biden. in the 2020 election.
He also supported another lawmaker, Lauren Boebert, who advocated the need to transport firearms inside the U.S. Capitol. Members may only carry firearms in their own offices.
CNN reported on Friday that Capitol Police were investigating an incident that occurred on Thursday when Harris was prevented from bringing a concealed weapon to the House floor. The Republican, who is an anesthesiologist, had triggered the newly installed metal detectors outside the chamber, prompting him to ask another lawmaker, Republican John Katko, to hold the gun for him.
Katko refused, according to a news pool, and Harris then left and returned later, without setting off the metal detector.
Bryan Shuy, Harris’ chief of staff, said in a statement to the Guardian: “Because his life and that of his family have been threatened by someone who has been released pending trial for security reasons. , the congressman never confirms whether he carries a gun in self-defense. “
Shuy added, “Publicly he has a Maryland handgun license. And the congressman still complies with House metal detectors and wands. The congressman never carried a firearm on the floor of the House.
The Club for Growth did not respond to a request for comment.
The Club for Growth became a major supporter of Harris in 2007, when he helped defeat a longtime – and more moderate – Republican congressman who had served in Maryland’s First District. Harris lost that race in the general election, but then won in 2009 in a heavily Republican district.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Democratic MK Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said she feared for her life on the day of the Capitol uprising, said “many” MPs did not yet feel safe with other members. .
“The moment you bring a weapon onto the Chamber floor in violation of the rules, you put everyone around you in danger. It is irresponsible, it is reckless, but beyond that it is the violation of the rules, ”she declared.
She added that Harris’s actions, regardless of his intentions, endangered the lives of fellow Congressmen and violated House rules.
The Club for Growth recently received the vast majority of its funding from Richard Uihlein, the right-wing anti-choice billionaire founder of packaging supply company Uline, and Jeffrey Yass, billionaire co-founder of Susquehanna International Group, a Philadelphia-based options trading. company.
Last year, the group spent millions of dollars to help elect Lauren Boebert, a pro-gun far-right activist and QAnon conspiracy theorist, who this week reportedly challenged Capitol Hill cops who sought to verify her purse after setting off the metal. detectors.
Harris voted Jan.6 to overturn the 2020 election results, hours after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol. In a radio show a few days later, he criticized Twitter’s decision to ban the president from using the online platform, calling it the result of collusion between socialists and big business.
In fact, some of the wealthiest Republican donors have backed Harris, including billionaire Stephen Schwarzman and other executives at Blackstone, the Wall Street company whose executives donated more than $ 10,000 to Harris last year. electoral cycle.
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