Republican Rep. Rodney Garcia, a state lawmaker in Montana, claims that the U.S. Constitution says socialists should be shot or jailed. According to a report in the Billings Gazette, he made the comments about socialists twice: first at a Republican event on Friday, and then again in discussion with a reporter the next day. At the event on Friday in Helena, he reportedly said he was concerned about socialists entering the government, and suggested there were socialists “everywhere” in Billings.
“So actually in the Constitution of the United States, (if) they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot,” Garcia told the reporter. He couldn’t tell the reporter where in the Constitution he had found this information.
“They’re enemies of the free state,” Garcia continued when asked if he believed it was “fair” to shoot or jail a socialist. “What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?”
Speaking to The Washington Post, University of Montana law professor Anthony Johnstone confirmed that “nothing in the Constitution of the United States authorizes the government to punish socialists or anyone else on the basis of their political beliefs.”
"I agree with my Constitution. That's what makes us free. We're not a democracy, we're a Republic Constitution," Garcia said.
In his last election cycle, Garcia’s opponent was self-identified democratic socialist Amelia Marquez. Her views reportedly align with those of Sen. Bernie Sanders. She told the Gazette, “I wish Rep. Garcia would continue to focus on the issues rather than this constant worry over things that are somewhat ludicrous.”
A glimmer of good in this horrifying situation is that both sides of the aisle are condemning his remarks. “All candidates in attendance — especially those with previous assault charges — must immediately condemn his remarks,” Robyn Driscoll, Montana Democratic Party chair, said in a statement on Saturday, referring to Garcia’s conviction in a domestic dispute. "Rodney Garcia has brazenly flaunted his conviction for a domestic dispute, called single moms deadbeats, and was only elected because he created an illegal campaign cash scam. Now he's publicly calling for people to be shot."
On Saturday, executive director of the Montana Republican Party Spenser Merwin released a statement saying, “Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable. 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.”
2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders calls himself a democratic socialist, as do some rising stars in the Democratic Party, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Donald Trump most recently referred to Sanders as a “communist” and “far beyond a socialist” in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. "I think he’s a communist. I mean, you know, look, I think of communism when I think of Bernie,” Trump said, wondering if Sanders got married in Moscow, and then adding, "I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist. … At least he’s true to what he believes."