PRESS RELEASE Contact: press@congressionalintegrity.org
For Immediate Release
Date: February 7, 2023
Washington D.C. – In today’s partisan stunt-fueled House Oversight hearing, James Comer refused to denounce the racist great replacement theory even after Congressman Jamie Raskin brought up the fact that multiple mass shooters in the United States had cited it as their motive for killing. In response, Congressional Integrity Project Executive Director, Kyle Herrig, issued the following statement:
“Disavowing racism should be one of the easiest things to do, and yet James Comer would not do it. This entire hearing was a political stunt and even after Republicans on the Committee spread the theory during today’s hearing, he still attempted to spin it as an attack from Democrats. James Comer and his fellow MAGA Republicans cannot be trusted to conduct fair and legitimate oversight. The American people deserve better – they deserve leaders who can cross the very low bar of calling out dangerous, racist conspiracy theories.”
2/7/23 House Oversight Hearing:
Rep. Raskin: All we need is a word renouncing or denouncing the Great Replacement theory and you will never hear from us again any implication that people on that side support it. But all we have to go on otherwise are prior statements that people have made. But I would love nothing more than to have every member of this committee together, you and I could issue a statement together on behalf of the entire committee denouncing the Great Replacement theory which has proven to be such a danger to our people and such a poisonous intoxicant for people who are going out and acting on it in lethal ways.
Rep. Comer: I don’t even know how to comment on a lot of that. I mean I assume you stand by the tweet. We just thought it was some lowly staffer that tweeted something out and made a mistake but I assume you stand by the statement, your official statement that today’s hearing was to amplify white supremacy. [House Oversight Hearing, 2/7/23]
Comer Has a History Of Peddling The Great Replacement Theory. “‘Comer doubled down on that characterization while peddling the racist Great Replacement theory,’ wrote Justin Baragona for the Daily Beast. ‘Over the past two years, this has turned the border patrol into the welcoming committee. They want more people to roll into the United States,’ Comer said. ‘They believe this is part of their social equality campaign to fundamentally change America.’” [Daily Beast, 12/20/22]