It is absolutely frightening to watch some of these extreme right wing politicians on the lunatic fringe continuing to propagate this anti-Muslim disinformation. Everyone should watch the video above.  Louie Gohmert represents Texas 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.  This is the same guy who said the Aurora, Colorado shooting incident where 12 died and over 50 were wounded at a midnight Batman premiere yesterday was a result of Americans telling God “we don’t want him around.” i.e. we don’t believe in god enough (source).  Watch this man disrespect former Arizona Governor and current Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano … here is part of the exchange:

Napolitano: What bothers me quite frankly are the allegations that are made against anyone who happens to be Muslim.

Gohmert: Well, the allegations are not because he is Muslim.  You follow me around the world, you see me hugging Muslims around the world, because the ones I hug are our friends.  This administration seems to have a hard time recognizing members of terrorist groups who are allowed into the White House.  You are aware of that happening, aren’t you?”

Napolitano: Absolutely not.

Gohmert: <chuckle>.  The evidence speaks for itself.  Obviously you’re kept in the dark about a lot of these things.

I watch that video and I want to say F#CK YOU Louie Gohmert; this guy is actually representing the United States of America.  When he refers to the White House allowing “members of terrorist groups” inside … he is referring to Huma Abedin – a senior aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  He and 3 other U.S. Congressmen signed a letter written by U.S. Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann which you can read HERE that called into question the integrity and patriotism of the 15 year aide to Secretary Clinton – a Muslim – who is married to former congressman and a member of the Jewish faith – Anthony Weiner.

They claimed in a very McCarthy style way that she had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and that she would be able to influence the direction of foreign policy in the State Department.  She is Muslim after all … and that means she’s probably guilty </sarcasm>.  The letter was  signed by Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), Trent Franks (R-AZ) , Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Thomas Rooney (R-FL), and Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA).

And in addition to the letter that Michelle Bachmann wrote – she said:

“It appears there has been deep penetration in the halls of the United States government by the Muslim Brotherhood. … There are individuals who are associated with the Muslim Brotherhood who have very sensitive positions in our Department of Justice, our Department of Homeland Security, potentially even in the National Intelligence Agency.”

Another very concerning piece of information about all of this is WHERE she got her information.  She didn’t get this information from the Intelligence Committee which I am embarrassed to say that she sits on.  The Chairman of the House Intelligence committee – Mike Rodgers (R-MI) - spoke to USA Today HERE:

“That kind of assertion certainly doesn’t comport with the Intelligence Committee, and I can say that on the record.  I have no information in my committee that would indicate that Huma is anything other than an American patriot.”

Bachmann didn’t get the information through any formal government agency like the FBI, CIA, NSA, DHS or any other of the alphabet soup departments; she got the information from a private group run by a guy named Frank Gaffney who runs a think tank  the Center for Security Policy.  We do not know who funds Frank Gaffney and his work but we do know that they are funded by SOMEONE who has an agenda against Muslims.

Think Progress points out HERE:

In 2009, Gaffney’s CSP issued a report asserting the existence of an “Iran Lobby” in Washington:

A complex network of individuals and organizations with ties to the clerical regime in Tehran is pressing forward in seeming synchrony to influence the new U.S. administration’s policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. Spearheaded by a de facto partnership between the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other organizations serving as mouthpieces for the mullahs’ party line, the network includes well-known American diplomats, congressional representatives, figures from academia and the think tank world.

Michelle Bachmann is so committed to her original statement that this is how she responded when CNN tried to interview her on the subject:

And even though she won’t allow CNN to ask her challenging questions about her remarks … she doubles down on the Glenn Beck show.  Think Progress reports on an exchange between her and Glenn Beck:

BECK: Okay. So when you wrote this letter, then Keith Ellison comes out. And Keith Ellison is ‑‑ he has a record of being the Mafia hitman.

BACHMANN: Well, he has a long record of being associated with CAIR and with the Muslim Brotherhood. CAIR is an unindicted co‑conspirator, as stated in the large terrorist financing case that we’ve had in the United States of America and so he came out and essentially wanted to shut down the inspectors general from even looking into any of the questions that we were asking. [...]

We’re asking that the inspectors general answer these questions, and Keith Ellison is trying to shut this, these questions down from getting addressed.

Another example of Xenophobia in the Republican party.  Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Peter King (R-NY) says that 90% of all terrorism comes from Muslims.  Actually – it’s more like 6% (source).

Well at least this time … some Republicans are standing up against this most recent attack.

“These attacks have no logic, no basis, and no merit and they need to stop. They need to stop now.”
~John McCain

“I don’t know Huma, but from everything that I do know of her she has a sterling character. Accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous.”
~John Boehner

It is far beyond time to start kicking these lunatics out of official positions within the U.S. government.  They count on people being afraid of the other … afraid of Muslims and “sharia law”.  They denounce an entire faith … sometimes calling it not even a religion … in order to inflame passions and take advantage of people’s internal bias and prejudices.  And make no mistake … to be distrustful of someone because they’re Muslim is as ridiculous as being distrustful of them because they’re Christian or because they’re Buddhist or because they’re Atheist.  Our country is supposed to be better than this.  The people who elect these geniuses into elected government should be ashamed of themselves.  These people need to be thrown out of government.  Period.

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