Paul Gosar just can’t stay away from white nationalists: journalist

At times, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and members of his staff will try to downplay the far-right MAGA Republican’s interactions with white nationalists and white supremacists. But journalist Caleb Ecarma, in an article published by Vanity Fair on April 7, stresses that such interactions keep happening despite Gosar’s occasional attempts to downplay them.

The most recent example, according to Ecarma, was an American Populist Union event scheduled for April 20 in Tempe, Arizona. Gosar was billed as a “featured guest” at the event, which, Ecarma notes, “happens to coincide with Adolf Hitler’s birthday.”

“Shortly after the Arizona Mirror reported Gosar’s billing at the event, which the House lawmaker had also promoted on his own Instagram account, the Republican’s campaign consultant claimed full ignorance,” Ecarma explains. “Yes, this keeps happening.”

Rory McShane, a campaign consultant for Gosar, told the Washington Post, “I never approved this event and have never spoken to this group.” And American Populist Union leader C.J. Trapeur told the Post that it is merely a coincidence that April 20 is Hitler’s birthday.

But Ecarma notes that Gosar “hasn’t always tried to distance himself from his apparent ties to the far right.” And that includes his association with Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist and Holocaust denier who founded the annual America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC).

In June 2021, Ecarma recalls, Gosar “appeared to defend Fuentes" after a flyer “surfaced showing” that he “was set to hold a fundraiser with the AFPAC founder.” And Gosar claimed “the left” was overreacting to his association with Fuentes, who calls his followers Groypers.

Gosar tweeted, “Not sure why anyone is freaking out. I’ll say this: there are millions of Gen Z, Y and X conservatives. They believe in America. They will not agree 100% on every issue. No group does. We will not let the left dictate our strategy, alliances and efforts. Ignore the left.”

Fuentes views AFPAC as a white nationalist alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and the MAGA Republicans who participated in AFPAC 2022 in late February included Gosar as well as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin and Arizona State Sen. Wendy Rogers. Gosar was also featured at AFPAC 2021.

Another controversy involving Gosar occurred in November 2021, when the MAGA congressman was censured by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives for posting an animated video that depicted him murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City.