Congressional Primary Reveals GOP Ties To Extremism Which Surprises Literally No One
Republican Joe Kent, who is running against U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state in the Aug. 2 primary, has received support from Donald Trump in the past. So its no surprise that hes been connected to other known white nationalists. In addition, his campaign consultant was a member of Proud Boys.
Kent has become a conservative media favorite due to his own unique story. He is a former Green Beret who served 11 combat deployments before retiring from Special Forces to become part of the CIA. His wife, Shannon, was a Navy cryptologist who was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Kent is currently raising their sons alone.
However, his ties to right-wing extremists has grown. According to AP News, campaign finance documents show Kent paid $11,375 for consulting over the past four months to Graham Jorgensen. Jorgensen, who was confirmed as a Proud Boy in a law enforcement document, was also charged with cyber stalking his ex-girlfriend back in 2018 (the charges were later dismissed).
Kent is also a close affiliate Joey Gibson, founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer. Gibson, who started Patriot Player in 2016, has organized demonstrations across the country that often clashed with left-wing groups. Many of those events were coordinated in conjunction with the Proud Boys.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/congressional-primary-reveals-gop-ties-153530092.html