Mastriano under fire for payment to 'Christian nationalist' platform
Doug Mastriano has come under fire for ties to a social media platform whose founder has said there’s no room for Jews and atheists in the conservative movement.
Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, has come under fire from critics for ties to a right-wing social media platform whose founder has said there is no room for Jews, atheists and others in the conservative movement.
Mastriano, a state senator backed by former President Donald Trump, paid Gab $5,000 in April for "advertising consulting," state campaign finance records showed.
Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Mastriano for his association with Gab, the social media platform on which a gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 posted his antisemitic rants.
Some users of Gab, which was founded by Andrew Torba in 2016, contemplated plans on the platform to disrupt the ascertainment of President Joe Biden's victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Torba has said his aim is to foster a "Christian nationalist" society, he has called for the conservative movement to be "exclusively Christian," and he frequently espouses antisemitic views.
"Andrew Torba is one of the most toxic people in public life right now," Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, which describes Gab as a "haven for extremists" and "conspiracy theorists," said Tuesday on MSNBC. "Elected officials who engage in this kind of rhetoric aren't just flirting with fascism — they are bringing it to the forefront of their political argument."
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