‘Disgusting’: Republican Lawmaker Faces Firestorm of Criticism After Islamophobic Post

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) faced a firestorm of criticism — including calls he be expelled from Congress — for an Islamophobic post he made during the Republican annual retreat at President Donald Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida.

“Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie,” Ogles posted Monday morning.

That post followed one on Saturday where Ogles retweeted noted Islamophobe Laura Loomer’s community-noted post on Muslims.

“Congress must pass my Muslim Ban today!” Ogles added.

Politico noted, “Ogles’ post comes as Republicans gather in Florida for their annual retreat and could serve as a distraction as the party seeks to hash out its agenda ahead of the midterms.”

Ogles has proposed the Halt Immigration from Countries with Inadequate Verification Capabilities Act that would refuse citizenship to immigrants from some majority-Muslim countries like Iran, Libya and Syria. North Korea, Venezuela, and Yemen.

“The bill, which is unlikely to become law, has already garnered the support of Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), who said ‘we must protect America from jihadists,'” Politico reported.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who’s running to be the next governor of his state, responded to Ogles’s post, writing, “I don’t know how many Muslims are in this guy’s district. I know there are tens of thousands in mine. They are parents. Entrepreneurs. Police officers. The firefighter-paramedic giving CPR to save your life.”

Swalwell added, “They are us. They are American. This tweet is NOT American.”

Likewise, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) wrote, “The founders put freedom of religion in the FIRST Amendment for a reason. Muslims have lived in America since the 1600s. E Pluribus Unum, an ode to our pluralism, has been our country’s traditional motto since 1782. Maybe it’s YOUR values that don’t belong in American society.”

Zateo’s Mehdi Hasan, who identifies as Muslim, wrote, “‘Jews don’t belong in American society.’ Imagine a sitting member of Congress tweeting that. You can’t. Thankfully, it’d never happen. And *if* it did, it’d be the end of their career and the biggest story in America. But Ogles can say this about Muslims without any censure.”

Other notable responses:

A spokesperson for Ogles referred Politico “to an interview the member of Congress did with Fox News following a shooting in Austin, Texas, in which he said that ‘mass Islamic immigration, legal or illegal, has transformed America and brought destructive consequences.’”

The offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.

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