Rep. Todd Akin
Early last week Jim Gilchrist, leader of the Minutemen Project and fountainhead of the larger Minutemen movement, endorsed US Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, who is about to launch a bid for US Senate.
According to one source, “Gilchrist cited Akin’s membership in the House Immigration Reform Caucus [HIRC], which has backed legislation cracking down on illegal immigration, as one of the main criteria for his endorsement.”
Last Friday, Rep. Akin accepted Gilchrist’s endorsement on via a press release posted on his personal website.
Founded in 1999, HIRC is of course backed by the Federation of American Immigration Reform, which was founded by white nationalist John Tanton. The relationship between the HIRC and FAIR is clear and irrefutable.
Former HIRC Chair Tom Tancredo was supported throughout his congressional tenure by FAIR and the John Tanton Network. After Tancredo – recently quoted by the infamous Dutch Islamophobe Geert Wilders – launched his ill-fated presidential campaign in 2007, a former FAIR lobbyist, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), took over as HIRC’s chairman
Time will tell if Akin’s decision to accept the endorsement of a fringe nativist connected to myriad American extremists will pay off. If he wins the Republican nomination on August 4, Akin will run against Democrat Incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill in this fall’s election.