Yesterday, William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC posted on his website a long, indignant letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center on his website, blasting the SPLC for listing his organization as a hate group, and especially bristling at any suggestion that any of his activism is motivated by racism. “No evidence exists that anyone in our organization has ever engaged in racism, hate, or violence against minorities,” he insisted. WorldNetDaily joined Gheen’s cause, quoting his letter in a fawning report later that day.
So, of course it comes as no surprise that the very same day that Gheen was on a crusade to clear his name from charges of leading a hate group, he also took the time to post on Facebook a defense of Los Angeles Clippers owner Don Sterling’s racist remarks and reported history of racial discrimination, claiming that the “black mobs” he imagines “hunting white people” across the nation are the real thing keeping the country from racial “equality.”
“I’m more worried about the new black mobs roaming many US cities targeting and beating the crap out of white people playing the Polar Bear/Knockout game than some rich old guy’s insensitive, yet 1st amendment protected, comments to his girlfriend in a private phone conversation that would be illegal to record in most states!” Gheen vented. “White guy makes a comment on the phone about blacks and the media goes crazy and everyone is out to destroy him. Black mobs form across the nation hunting white people and the media helps conceal the atrocities. Equality? Don’t think so.”
Then, for good measure, Gheen reposted his thoughts on the page of the conspiracy-theory site InfoWars.
We’ve frequently noted how remarkable it is that Gheen, an unhinged fringe extremist, continues to have something of a presence in the right-wing media and the GOP. For example, today, Gheen announced that he was endorsing five more candidates for Congress who had courted his favor by filling out his candidate survey, including U.S. Senate candidates Mark Callahan of Oregon and Stace Nelson of South Dakota. They join U.S. Senate candidates Matt Bevin of Kentucky, Rob Maness of Louisiana, Greg Brannon of North Carolina and Lee Bright of South Carolina, who have all successfully courted Gheen’s endorsement.
