On Friday, POLITICO reported that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) is now blaming his video attendance of the America First Political Action Conference headed up by white nationalist Nick Fuentes as a "staffing error" — and that he had no idea who Fuentes was or what ideology the conference was promoting. The conference was also attended by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
"'It wasn't supposed to go to Nick’s group,' Gosar told POLITICO, noting that a staffer 'misconstrued' directions from his chief of staff. The tape was intended to go to other groups as a general 'welcome video,' he added," said the report. "'We're kind of short-handed,' he said. 'And there was miscommunication.'"
As for Fuentes, Gosar told POLITICO: "He and Greene 'didn't know anything about the group' before speaking in person at America First in their appearances a year apart, Gosar said. 'The young people that were being misled by somebody — we should be trying to mentor, trying to change them. I've given up … on dealing with Nick. Nick's got a problem with his mouth.'"
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As the report noted, however, Gosar should have reasonably known Fuentes is a white nationalist: "The first results when you Google Fuentes' name identify him as a white nationalist who has compared baking cookies to the Holocaust's mass murder of Jews, among other incendiary and discriminatory statements." Furthermore, Gosar has gone out of his way to praise Fuentes in the past, calling him a "young conservative Christian" facing a "partisan witch hunt" from Democrats, and he has also promoted other white nationalist activists, like Kyle Clifton, who promotes anti-Semitic content, and Greyson Arnold, who has praised Nazi Germany.
The House of Representatives censured Gosar and stripped him of his committee assignments last November, after he posted an anime video of himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
