Texas GOP Says No To Proposal To Ban Association With Nazi Sympathizers

The Republican Party of Texas has recently decided not to prohibit their association with recognized Nazi sympathizers and Holocaust deniers, following an incident where a well-known conservative activist and fundraiser was found to have hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes two months prior.

The pro-Israel resolution was modified by the Texas GOP’s executive committee in a 32-29 vote on Saturday, as they removed a clause that proposed a ban. Surprisingly, around half of the board attempted to prevent any record of their vote from being recorded, leaving some members shocked.

The majority of the executive committee dealt a significant blow to a faction within the party that has been urging it to address its connections to organizations that have hired or associated with vocal extremists and white supremacists.

In October, photos of Fuentes, who openly expresses his admiration for Adolf Hitler and advocates for a “sacred conflict” against Jews, were published by The Texas Tribune. He was seen going in and out of the premises of Pale Horse Strategies, a consulting company specializing in supporting right-wing candidates and movements.

Jonathan Stickland, the previous state representative and chief of a political action committee called Defend Texas Liberty, owns Pale Horse Strategies. This firm has been financed by two wealthy oil billionaires from West Texas, who have utilized it to support conservative movements, candidates, and politicians in the state.

Notable beneficiaries include Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Reacting to the scandal and subsequent Tribune reporting exposing connections between Defend Texas Liberty and white supremacists, almost half of the Texas GOP’s executive committee demanded that the party sever ties with Defend Texas Liberty and its auxiliary groups until Stickland was removed from power and a satisfactory explanation for the Fuentes meeting was provided.

Later, the proposed demands were significantly weakened prior to the party’s quarterly meeting. Instead of calling for a complete break from Defend Texas Liberty, the faction proposed a more general language that recommended avoiding associations with individuals or groups who are known to support antisemitism, sympathize with Nazis, or deny the Holocaust.

However, most of the executive committee disagreed with even this much softer version of the statement. During a heated discussion on Saturday, committee members expressed their concerns about the vagueness and subjectivity of terms such as “tolerate” or “antisemitism.” Some went on to say that the ban resembled tactics used by “Marxist” and “leftist” groups and strongly argued against it.