Rep. Paul Gosar threatened to sue a TV reporter for calling him a White nationalist, causing the Arizona Republican to face a flurry of identical accusations from others daring him to take them to court.
Mr. Gosar warned of possible legal action Friday after Brahm Resnik, a reporter for an NBC affiliate in Phoenix, referred to him on Twitter as a “white nationalist congressman with ties to 1/6 instigators.”
“Retract that false and defamatory label ass hat. Or see you in court,” Mr. Gosar told Mr. Resnik from his personal Twitter account. “Not once have I ever supported ’white nationalism’ you lying scum.”
Mr. Resink had not retracted the remark by early Saturday, where it remained on Twitter along with a growing number of posts from other users dubbing Mr. Gosar a “white nationalist” and daring him to sue.
“Sue me, Paul,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat. “You hang out with white nationalists. Hard stop. Therefore, you support white nationalists. See you in court.”
“You are a white nationalist. Sue me,” echoed New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz. “Oh, oh… sue me too. Please?!” said John Sipher, a former CIA officer with a popular, verified Twitter account.
Mr. Gosar spoke in February at an event organized by Nicholas J. Fuentes, a political commentator and podcast host who has been labeled a White supremacist leader by the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL.
Ali Alexander, an organizer of the “Stop the Steal” rallies that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, has said that Mr. Gosar “schemed” with others to plan the rally outside.
A spokesperson for Mr. Gosar subsequently denied the congressman recalled meeting with Mr. Alexander. Photos exist of him meeting with Mr. Fuentes, however, who has described the Capitol riot as “awesome.”
“I am unapologetic,” Mr. Fuentes said in a June video while discussing the Jan. 6 riot waged by fellow supporters of former President Trump as Congress met to recognize his loss in the 2020 election. “It was awesome! And so was Trump. And Trump was awesome because he was racist. Trump was awesome because he was sexist. The only thing Trump wasn’t awesome for was being antisemitic; he wasn’t antisemitic.”
Mr. Gosar previously condemned the Jan. 6 rioters. He has since repeatedly spoken favorably of Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol Police lieutenant while rioting inside the building.
The Washington Times has asked Mr. Resink to comment on the congressman’s retraction demand.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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