U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa tweeted out an endorsement for Faith “Goldy” Bazos, a white nationalist hoping to become the next mayor in Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
Last night, King tweeted that he believed Goldy was “an excellent candidate for Toronto mayor” who was “Pro Western Civilization (sic) and a fighter for our values.”
Faith Goldy, an excellent candidate for Toronto mayor, pro Rule of Law, pro Make Canada Safe Again, pro balanced budget, &...BEST of all, Pro Western Civilization and a fighter for our values. @FaithGoldy will not be silenced. https://t.co/uqkeaUjm7i
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) October 17, 2018
In light of Goldy’s well-publicized history of extremism, it’s difficult to interpret King’s endorsement of Goldy on account of her “Pro Western Civilization” message as anything beyond an endorsement of white supremacy.
As we’ve noted many times in our reporting, Goldy is an unabashed white nationalist. In 2017, Goldy was fired from Rebel Media—a notoriously far-right Canadian outlet—after she appeared on a neo-Nazi podcast while attending the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists terrorized the streets and a white supremacist drove a car into a crowd, killing Heather Heyer. Later that year, Goldy identified herself as a white nationalist while appearing on the web-based white supremacist radio outlet Red Ice. She’s recited and defended the “14 Words” white supremacist slogan and said the "pervasiveness of homosexuality" enabled Nazi Germany. Goldy has recommended literature that advocates for the “elimination of Jews” and has pulled supporters from local extremist groups to work her campaign for mayor.
King has a well-documented track record of using white supremacist rhetoric and fighting in Congress for an anti-immigrant agenda, yet Republicans have remained astoundingly hushed when it comes to condemning King’s stated views. Those viewers are perhaps most transparently on display on King’s Twitter profile, where the congressman is often boosting the voices of known neo-Nazis and white supremacists, or spreading their decades-old talking points himself.
As we reported yesterday, Goldy is already preparing a game plan for her projected loss that involves accusing the election system in Toronto of being rigged against her.