RINO Calls Primary Opponent A ‘Neo-Nazi,’ Attacks Matt Gaetz
During a Sunday appearance on CNN, establishment Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) attacked his America First primary opponent and several of his conservative colleagues, declaring them to be “neo-Nazis,” and accused Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) of pedophilia.
Gonzales has been deemed a RINO — “Republican In Name Only” — by conservative voters and lawmakers over his repeated decisions to side with Democrats against the values of his constituents. These decisions include refusing to support securing the border despite the fact that his district spans the majority of Texas’ border with Mexico, as well as his support for President Joe Biden’s sweeping gun control bill.
Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash, host of “State of the Union,” the pro-gun control congressman angrily attacked his opponent, Brandon Herrera, who is an America First conservative and Second Amendment advocate known on social media as “The AK Guy.”
First, Gonzales chose to attack Gaetz — the first member of Congress to endorse Herrera — falsely claiming that the Florida conservative was a pedophile who had “paid minors” to sleep with him at “drug parties.”
Continuing to flail in a desperate attempt to defend his failing candidacy, Gonzales then attacked House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) — who also endorsed Herrera — declaring him to be a neo-Nazi without any evidence.
“Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi,” Gonzales falsely claimed. “These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
Surprisingly, Bash actually refuted Gonzales’ false claims about Gaetz, pointing out that “the federal government did look into Matt Gaetz and those allegations, and they decided not to prosecute.”
Gonzales’ comments during the interview appear to have backfired against him, which is not surprising. Many establishment Republicans’ attempts to use Democrat talking points to attack their conservative colleagues in the past have had the same effect — earning them mild praise from Democrats who have no intention of voting for them, while alienating true conservative voters.
Herrera pointed this out in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, while responding to a clip of Gonzales’ comments.
“My failure of a Congressman @TonyGonzales4TX went on CNN this morning calling @mattgaetz and @RepBobGood Klansmen, and me a ‘known neo-Nazi.’ This is the death spiral ladies and gentlemen. He has to cry to his liberal friends about me, because Republicans won’t listen anymore,” he wrote.
The backlash from the RINO congressman’s comments also led to more endorsements for Herrera, including from Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), who disavowed Gonzales’ false accusations as “such BS and so pathetic, especially from a fellow veteran.”
“To insinuate that other members are klansmen because they call you out for being a complete and total Rhino [sic]. Wasn’t one of our core values Honor @TonyGonzales4TX? Hey Brandon, add me to your list of endorsements. We will never save the country with guys like Tony,” Crane wrote.
Gaetz also responded to Gonzales’ unhinged remarks, pointing out that the RINO congressman is “down in the polls” — arguing that he is losing to Herrera because of his attacks on his conservative colleagues.
“Now he’s laundering lies on CNN. ‘Unhinged Outbursts’ is one of the final phases a politician goes through prior to defeat. The Texas Republican Party has rightly censured Tony for supporting gun control and amnesty. Vote in the May 28 runoff for Brandon Herrera!” he added.
Gaetz also shared a clip of Gonzales’ comments, declaring him “Turncoat Tony.”
Gonzales will be facing Herrera in a runoff election on May 28 after not garnering enough support in the Super Tuesday primary to avoid the runoff. Gonzales only received 45% of the vote in the primary election on March 5, while Herrera came in second with 25% and three other Republican candidates split the rest.
