FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2020
Contact: Damien Filer / 850-212-1858 / Damien@ProgressFlorida.org
TALLAHASSEE – In last night’s presidential debate, when asked to denounce white supremacy, President Trump responded, “Who would you like me to condemn? The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by.”
After the debate the Proud Boys celebrated the astonishing response from the President of the United States. One organizer posted he was “standing by” and said Trump “basically said to go f— them up.”
“Our country has sunk to the point that the president is inciting hate groups to violence during a presidential debate and, right here in our own community, candidate Jason Brodeur is lining the pockets of those same hate groups,” said local community leader Denise Diaz. “The truth is, Jason Brodeur has been sowing hate and division in our community for his entire political career.”
Brodeur made Jacob Engels a key advisor even though he is tied to white supremacist groups and promotes far right conspiracy theories. In 2017, Engles posted on his blog, “I’ve attended Proud Boys meetups and gotten to know members all across the Southeast.”
According to Mother Jones, “Another recent post by Engels refers to billionaire liberal donor George Soros as a ‘Nazi collaborator,’ a version of a long-running conservative smear that has been propagated by Jones, Donald Trump Jr., and others.”
Campaign finance records listed under the Florida Department of State’s Campaign Finance Database show Brodeur’s “Friends Of Jason Brodeur” committee paid $30,0000 to “CFP Media Strategies” in 2018. The first payment was for $20,000 on October 17, 2018, and the second was for $10,000 on November 13, 2018. CFP Media Strategies is owned by Jacob Engels.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified Proud Boys as a hate group, saying, “Their disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions: rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists.”
“It’s time Jason Brodeur was held accountable for his ties to hate groups,” said Denise Diaz. “That doesn’t reflect our values here in Altamonte Springs.”
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Paid political advertisement paid for by Florida Watch PC, P.O. Box 331266, Miami, FL 32233, independently of any candidate. Not approved by any candidate.