Arizona congressman suggests George Soros funded Charlottesville rally

PHOENIX — An Arizona congressman suggested in a television interview that the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville this past August was organized by an “Obama sympathizer” and funded by billionaire investor George Soros.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said in an interview with VICE News that August’s Unite The Right rally was “actually started” by someone who is liberal or more left-leaning.

“Let’s look at the person that actually started the rally. It’s come to our attention that this is a person from Occupy Wall Street that was an Obama sympathizer. So, wait a minute, be careful where you start taking these people to,” Gosar said.

“And look at the background. You know, George Soros is one of those people that actually helps back these individuals. Who is he? I think he’s from Hungary. I think he was Jewish. And I think he turned in his own people to the Nazis. Better be careful where we go with those,” Gosar added.

And when asked,”Do you think George Soros funded the neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville?” Gosar responded, “Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?”

The Unite The Right rally was initially organized by white nationalist Jason Kessler for other white nationalists to protest the removal of a Confederate monument in Charlottesville. The rally sparked a series of protests between white nationalists and counter-protesters.

One woman, Heather Heyer, was killed after a vehicle slammed into a group of counter-protesters. At least 19 others were injured in the crash. The driver of the vehicle, James Alex Fields Jr., was charged with 10 charges, including second-degree murder.

The idea that Soros helped fund the Charlottesville rally was first promoted by Alex Jones, a radio host who is known for promoting conspiracy theories in the past, most notably surrounding the Sandy Hook shooting.

On Aug. 14, two days after the rally, Jones tweeted, “The Charlottesville attack took place on #Soros’ birthday, this is not just a coincidence.”

The Charlottesville attack took place on #Soros’ birthday, this is not just a coincidence.
https://t.co/MtWgIjYCHw #WakeUpAmerica

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 14, 2017

In a statement to VICE News, a spokeswoman for Soros said the investor “abhors violence in any form and has never funded it. Never has. Never will.”

The conversation between Gosar and VICE News was sparked by news of a lawsuit filed against Gosar by one of his constituents, J’aime Morgaine, who argued that the lawmaker violated her First Amendment right by blocking her on Facebook.

Gosar, who came under fire in September after posting a series of videos of him and his staff reading “mean tweets,” said he has blocked constituents online because “hateful comments on social media could lead to violence.”

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