GOP Rep: The Constitution Calls For Shooting Socialists

The Billings Gazette reports:

A Billings Republican legislator said Saturday he believes the U.S. Constitution calls for the shooting or jailing of those who identify as socialists.

State Rep. Rodney Garcia, from House District 52 on the South Side, first made a statement in the form of an unprompted question at a state party gathering in Helena Friday meant to kick off election season and offer training for party members and candidates.

In his question after a speech by former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who was Montana’s representative in the U.S. House for two years, Garcia said he was concerned about socialists “entering our government” and socialists “everywhere” in Billings, before saying the Constitution says to either shoot socialists or put them in jail.

The Associated Press reports:

Garcia stood behind his remarks on Saturday when asked by a reporter about them, though he couldn’t point out where in the Constitution it says socialists are to be shot or jailed.

“They’re enemies of the free state,” Garcia said. “What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?” Spenser Merwin, the executive director of the Montana Republican Party, said in statement the party wholeheartedly condemned Garcia’s comments.

“Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable,” he said. ”It’s disappointing that this isolated incident took away from the weekend’s events which showcased the strength of our statewide candidates and the importance of the upcoming election.”

Garcia recently made local headlines when called on the state to buy and operate a struggling coal-fired power plant. That kinds of sounds like…something.

Montana state legislator thinks that the Constitution requires Socialists to be shot or jailed – https://t.co/OZp7h12QdC

— Reid Wilson (@PoliticsReid) February 2, 2020