George Buck, a Republican candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District, in 2018. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
The National Republican Congressional Committee is dropping George Buck, a candidate for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, from its recruitment program after a fundraising email sent over the candidate's signature said Democratic members of Congress should be executed, according to Politico's Jake Sherman.
The big picture: The Nov. 26 email falsely accused Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of working for the country of Qatar and should be punished, the Tampa Bay Times reports. “We should hang these traitors where they stand,” the email reads.
Details: The email also spotlights Rep. Charlie Crist — Buck's incumbent opponent — as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
What he's saying: "That was not me. I did not see that. I would never talk like that," Buck initially told the Times.
- He followed the comment with a statement that included the constitutional definition of and the federal punishment for treason.
- “Anyone who commits treason against the United States should be tried to the full extent of the law,” Buck said.
What they're saying: “There is no room for this kind of inflammatory rhetoric in either political party. No one should ever condone a candidate’s call for violence,” Pinellas County GOP chairman Todd Jennings posted on Facebook.
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