Rep. Paul Gosar's tweet is a reminder that Arizona is still crazy

While recent election results restored some measure of sanity to Arizona’s political lineup, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar took the opportunity to remind us all that there is still plenty of madness on the roster.

Although, I doubt that sad reality had escaped most of us.

We know that the frivolous and unfounded legal challenges by election losers like Kari Lake and Abe Hamadeh will be tossed by the courts soon enough, but Arizona will continue to be stuck with the reputation for electing unhinged cranks thanks to the cankerous bile oozing from politicians like Gosar, state Sen. Wendy Rogers and others.

Gosar, for example, seized the occasion of Thanksgiving weekend to express his undying support for the criminal insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an event that led to at least four deaths, injured 150 or so police officers and caused millions of dollars in damage.

Still, in a social media post Gosar said, “The treatment of the Jan. 6 protestors is inhumane and unacceptable. They deserve much more than an immediate pardon, but it would be a good start.”

Gosar, Rogers are linked to a white nationalist

This from someone who swore an oath to preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution.

Not only does Gosar continue to get reelected, but Arizonans are well aware (or should be) that Gosar, like former President Donald Trump, has cozied up to white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

Last week, news reports noted that Trump met with Fuentes and the antisemitic rapper Kanye West at his Mar-a-Lago estate.Gosar has a long association with Fuentes.

Who won and lost:Many election-denying candidates ran in Arizona elections

He spoke at an America First Political Action Committee gathering that Fuentes organized, and has defended him, once saying on the radical, right-wing social networking site Gab, “The phony January 6th Committee’s partisan witch-hunt continues as they have now set their sights on young conservative Christians like Nick Fuentes. This is pure political persecution and it has to stop. @realnickjfuentes.” Fuentes responded: “Thank you Congressman!”

Wendy Rogers is also a pal of Fuentes. She also attended a Fuentes-organized event in which she fantasized about hanging political enemies while describing members of the white nationalist crowd as “patriots.”Rogers also has promoted QAnon conspiracy theories, backed Alex Jones over the parents of murdered children in Sandy Hook, and tweeted a photo of herself next to a dead rhino branded with the Star of David.

They have plenty of allies in the Legislature

In some ways, Gosar and Rogers are less the exception than the rule among some of Arizona’s more prominent Republican politicians, starting with election denier, fake presidential elector and state Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, an avid supporter of Gosar and Rogers.

In the Legislature there are Republicans like state Sens. Warren Petersen and Sonny Borrelli – well-known election conspiracy kooks – now in leadership positions.

It goes on.

And on.

So, yes, while recent election results restored some measure of sanity to Arizona’s roster of elected officials, the state’s political psychosis is not yet under control. An admonition pointed out – however unintentionally – by Gosar.

For which we should … thank him?

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Paul Gosar's tweet reminds us Arizona is still crazy