Texas GOP Leadership Exerts Pressure on SREC to Accept Antisemitism

The upcoming meeting of the Republican Party of Texas State Executive Committee (SREC) marks the first time the committee will convene since the controversial meeting between Defend Texas Liberty, a major GOP donor, and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Matt Rinaldi, Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, was present at the office during the seven-hour meeting.

In the wake of this meeting, a fierce battle has erupted within the Texas Republican Party, with the very essence of the party at stake.

• Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan called on Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to return $3 million in donations received from Defend Texas Liberty.
• Dan Patrick refused to return the money and instead called for Speaker Phelan's resignation.
• Patrick announced that his campaigns would invest the $3 million in Israeli bonds.
  • It was later revealed that Patrick's announcement was an attempt to get out in front of a damning article in the Texas Tribune.
• Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi fought to establish a faux-Young Republican group, an organization whose leadership has numerous ties to antisemitism and Fuentes, as a partner of the state party.
• Patrick became a de facto spokesperson for Tim Dunn, on behalf of Defend Texas Liberty and called the meeting with Fuentes a "serious blunder."
• Phelan and Patrick agreed that anti-semitism has no place in the Republican Party of Texas.
  • Phelan went on to say, "Lt. Governor Patrick correctly points out that we have problems that need to be addressed in the formal structure of the Republican Party of Texas. If we are to 'root out this cancer,' as Lt. Governor Patrick states, those efforts begin with Matt Rinaldi's resignation as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas."
• Nearly half of the Republican Party of Texas SREC signed onto a statement condemning Defend Texas Liberty, Fuentes, and anti-semitism.
  • Some of Rinaldi's most detestable allies began bullying and pressuring their fellow SREC members against condemning anti-semitism.
• Defend Texas Liberty removed Jonathan Stickland from his position as the organization's leader. However, it was later revealed that this change in leadership was a deceitful public relations move rather than a genuine attempt to address the organization's ties to Nick Fuentes.
• Despite claims by Dunn and Patrick that there is no further involvement with Nick Fuentes by any entity or employee within The Enterprise, evidence has emerged suggesting that Fuentes' supporters remain in positions of leadership within the organization. Additionally, multiple reports have documented The Enterprise's history of employing individuals with ties to hate groups found here and here
• Some members of the Republican Party of Texas State Executive Committee (SREC) have attempted to downplay the significance of the Fuentes meeting and discourage their colleagues from speaking out against anti-semitism.
• Candace Owens, a media personality frequently featured in The Enterprise's partisan news outlets, has made public attacks on Ben Shapiro, a conservative orthodox Jewish man who has defended Israel's right to self-defense in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

SREC Member Finds Nick Fuentes 'Solidly Conservative'

In a recent attempt to minimize the significance of the meeting between Defend Texas Liberty, a major donor to the Texas GOP, and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, SREC member Chuck Burnett has expressed no qualms about the gathering. In a message widely shared among Texas GOP circles, Burnett stated:

Nick Fuentes

Who is this guy? I had never heard the name before this Pale Horse photo op set-up. I didn't trust the sources that were demonizing him ..... so I started googling. Found an organization he heads and it seemed solidly conservative. I actually agreed with everything I saw. So I kept looking for the racist/jew hating/Nazi documentation. Found an (over) hour long YouTube of him discussing many of the allegations against him with a very racially diverse group. I've now spent nearly 2 hours of investigating this guy, and do not find the 'Jew hating, white supremacist, Nazi; so far.

I will add that I am open to correction but it needs to be a video/youtube documentation - with context- at this point.

Have we been taken for a ride by those that want to harm the RPT? ... and how can we criticize our people for talking to this guy if we don't know what was said?
Christ talked to all types of people, -including all the sinners- and taught us to love everyone, including our enemies.

Again; correct me with evidence if I'm wrong.

Chuck Burnett's Flawed Rationale for Supporting Nick Fuentes

Let's debunk this SREC members absurd comments line-by-line.

"I had never heard the name before this Pale Horse photo op set-up."
Contrary to accusations of a deliberate setup, sources indicate that the meeting between Defend Texas Liberty and Nick Fuentes was highly confidential within The Enterprise's inner circles, with only a select few high-ranking individuals aware of its occurrence. It appears that someone among the leadership, recognizing the meeting's impropriety, chose to inform the media of its existence.

"I didn't trust the sources that were demonizing him ..... so I started googling. Found an organization he heads and it seemed solidly conservative. I actually agreed with everything I saw."
In a stunning display of disregard for the gravity of Nick Fuentes's extremist rhetoric, SREC member Chuck Burnett has openly defended Fuentes's comments, even labeling them "conservative." This revelation raises serious concerns about Burnett's judgment and his suitability for holding a position of influence within the Republican Party of Texas.

Burnett's defense of Fuentes's extremist views is deeply troubling and demonstrates a disturbing lack of judgment. His willingness to associate with and defend someone who espouses such hateful and dangerous rhetoric calls into question his commitment to the core principles of the Republican Party.

"So I kept looking for the racist/jew hating/Nazi documentation. Found an (over) hour long YouTube of him discussing many of the allegations against him with a very racially diverse group. I've now spent nearly 2 hours of investigating this guy, and do not find the 'Jew hating, white supremacist, Nazi; so far."
In light of Burnett's professed commitment to conducting "intensive, robust, and thorough research," yet his apparent failure to do so, we have assembled a collection of Nick Fuentes's inflammatory remarks:

"Have we been taken for a ride by those that want to harm the RPT? ... and how can we criticize our people for talking to this guy if we don't know what was said?"
In a desperate attempt to evade accountability for his support of Nick Fuentes, Chuck Burnett resorts to peddling baseless conspiracy theories. Despite claiming to have conducted hours of research, Burnett conveniently found nothing to disagree with Fuentes on, even going so far as to label him "solidly conservative."

Burnett's transparent attempt to whitewash Fuentes's extremist views is not only disingenuous but also deeply troubling. His willingness to embrace such a divisive and harmful figure calls into question his judgment and his suitability for holding a position of influence within the Republican Party of Texas.

The party must uphold its commitment to reject antisemitism, and Burnett's actions suggest that he may not share those values. His refusal to condemn Fuentes's hateful rhetoric is a betrayal of those principles and a stain on the reputation of the Republican Party of Texas.

Furthermore, Burnett's efforts to minimize the gravity of interacting with an individual like Fuentes mirror the strategies outlined in The Enterprise Playbook, employed by Defend Texas Liberty and its allies to downplay the significance of their meeting with Fuentes.

This playbook includes a series of tactics aimed at deflecting criticism and obfuscating the true nature of their actions. Burnett's attempts to trivialize the meeting and defend Fuentes's views align perfectly with these tactics, demonstrating a coordinated effort to whitewash their association with the extremist figure.

Expect the SREC To Defy Dan Patrick This Weekend

As the Republican Party of Texas State Executive Committee (SREC) convenes this weekend, it is important to recognize the pattern of deflection and self-victimization that has characterized their response to the controversy surrounding their ties to Nick Fuentes. Despite Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's recent comments condemning antisemitism, it is likely that some SREC members will attempt to downplay the seriousness of the issue and defend their association with organizations flooded with antisemitic alliances.

This strategy of self-victimization and deflection is not only disingenuous but also indicative of their unwillingness to confront the true source of the controversy: their own actions. Their refusal to unequivocally condemn Fuentes's extremist rhetoric and their attempts to deflect criticism demonstrate their lack of judgment and their disregard for the values of tolerance, diversity, and respect for all people.

By continuing to promote straw-man arguments and defend their association with allies who entertain the likes of Nick Fuentes, the SREC members are only further discrediting themselves and proving their unfitness for the offices they hold. Their actions have damaged the reputation of the Republican Party of Texas and eroded the trust placed in them by the people of Texas.

The SREC members must take responsibility for their actions, disavow antisemitism in all its forms, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to the principles of inclusivity and respect for all people. Only then can they begin to regain the trust they have lost and restore their credibility as leaders of the Republican Party of Texas.