Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted a quote from a neo-Nazi on Twitter on Sunday and incorrectly attributed it to Voltaire in an effort to attack National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Massie tweeted:
It’s not clear if Massie knew the true origin of the quote when he posted it. However, it was quickly pointed out on social media that the quote was not, as the image suggested, from Voltaire but rather from Kevin Alfred Strom, a notorious neo-Nazi who was convicted on child porn charges in 2008.
USA Today fact-checked the quote after it went viral last spring. Strom called it “kind of flattering.”
Others have also mistakenly shared the quote, including actor and progressive activist John Cusack, who apologized for doing so in 2019.
As of early Monday, Massie’s message remained on the site.
A growing number of Republican lawmakers have openly embraced white supremacist and/or anti-Semitic viewpoints, including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.),who has repeatedly been linked to white nationalists, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has spouted racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories as well as violent rhetoric. Both have been stripped of their committee assignments as a result.
Last November, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said they would get their assignments back if Republicans retook the House in the 2022 midterm elections. He also vowed to kick several Democrats out of their committees in retaliation.