When Christopher Monzon, a GOP canvasser working with Marco Rubio’s campaign was revealed to have extensive ties to white nationalist groups and a well-documented history of racist and antisemitic comments, Rubio spent an entire week defending him and ignoring calls to denounce his bigotry.
Just recently, members of the Proud Boys, including those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, rallied for Marco Rubio in Miami. And Monzon publicly thanked Rubio for defending him.
“It’s no surprise why violent extremists like the Proud Boys are flocking to Marco Rubio’s campaign. With disturbing acts of antisemitism, hatred, and political violence on the rise, Rubio isn’t just refusing to condemn those who are spreading bigotry, he’s defending them. Rubio’s decision to take the side of those with deep ties to anti-democratic hate groups isn’t just wrong, it puts Floridians in danger,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Grant Fox.
See below for more coverage:
Miami Herald: Proud Boys, allies rally in support of GOP canvasser in front of Hialeah voting site
Key points:
- “The protest on Saturday morning, held as voters filed into an early voting site steps away, was organized by people with past or present links to the Proud Boys, a national white supremacist organization. They handed out door hangers with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political platform and prepared to canvass nearby homes, a symbolic gesture to finish knocking on the doors Monzon did not get to before he was assaulted.”
- “Protesters waved American flags and Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis gear, and held large, blown-up photos of Monzon lying injured in a hospital bed. Several wore t-shirts and hats marked with Proud Boy insignia. Some covered their faces with Proud Boy bandannas.”
- “It later surfaced that Monzon had a long history of involvement in extremist protests and groups, including the Florida chapter of League of South, a group that the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a white supremacist hate group.”
- “While the attack has been condemned by Florida politicians of both parties, the attack has also drawn criticism from Democrats questioning why the Republican Part of Florida was employing someone with ties to racist and anti-Semitic hate groups.”
NBC6: Proud Boys Members Pass Out Flyers For Rubio Canvasser Who Was Attacked
Key points:
- “Members of the far-right group known as Proud Boys gathered in Hialeah Saturday after a man handing out flyers for Sen. Marco Rubio was beaten up earlier this week.”
CBS: Sen. Rubio stands by statement that attack on GOP canvasser was politically motivated
Key points:
- “CBS4 first interviewed Monzon, who has alleged past connection to white supremacist groups, in 2017. We were covering a story about changing the names of street signs that honored confederate generals and a one-time leader of the KKK.”
- “In a video from Miami’s Rise News, a reporter asked Monzon whether he was a Cuban American and he replied, ‘Yes that’s correct.’ He continued, ‘Everybody that moves here needs to conform to the South. This is federal-occupied Dixie.’”
- “Monzon was at the rally holding a confederate flag and got into a shouting match with the crowd. Police arrested Monzon and charged him with aggravated assault, inciting a riot and disorderly conduct.”
- “On Friday, members of the Florida Democratic Party said that the Republican Party and Rubio should be distancing themselves from Monzon. Rachelle Litt of the Florida Democratic Party told CBS4’s Peter D’Oench, ‘He (Monzon) has a well-documented history of being tied to hatred and bigotry. The Republican Party knew this when they hired him and made him part of their staff.’ She said he was a member of a hate group known for anti-semitism and also had ties to the Proud Boys.”
- “State Senator Lori Berman of Boynton Beach said, ‘The fact that the Republican Party paid $10,000 to someone out there canvassing who was a misogynist and a racist.’ State Representative Tracie Davis of Jacksonville said ‘Marco Rubio failed to condemn Monzon and is defending him. The question is why.’”
Salon: Rubio canvasser speaks out at Proud Boys rally
Key Points:
- “The far-right activist who was attacked while canvassing for Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio insisted on Saturday that the attack was politically motivated, even though he did not tell that to authorities until after the senator had publicly claimed as much on Twitter.”
- “Monzon vowed he would clear his name. The newspaper reported ‘he declined to answer specific questions about the beating or his past.’”
Image Credits: Lynne Sladky/AP
