Accountable.US: Grand Canyon monument will be “on the right side”

Watchdog Highlights The Anti-Government Extremism Of Opponents To Protecting Arizona Sacred Sites.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, nonpartisan watchdog Accountable.US released the following statement in response to news that President Biden will soon designate Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

Opposition to the popular proposal is led by controversial white nationalist Congressman Paul Gosar, who was central to the plot to overturn the last Presidential election.

The Monument will protect a vital area around the Grand Canyon sacred to Native American communities, including the Havasupai and Hopi tribes, and preserve an invaluable cultural site and environmental habitat for future generations. A wide coalition of indigenous leaders, local communities, and state and local elected officials support the site’s designation.

BACKGROUND:

Paul Gosar  Is An Anti-Government Extremist Who Urged Trump Supporters To “Join” Him On January 6th To “Fight For Trump.” 

Paul Gosar Is The Loudest Voice Opposing The Protection Of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. [Arizona Republic, 07/19/23]

Gosar Tweeted: “Patriots: The Time Is Now. Hold The Line. Join Me In DC January 6th. #Fightfortrump.” Gosar Tweeted: “Patriots: The time is now. HOLD THE LINE. Join me in DC January 6th. #FIGHTFORTRUMP” [Twitter, 01/02/21] 

Gosar Tweeted, “We Haven’t Come This Far And Fought This Hard To Have The Election Stolen From Us.” Gosar Tweeted, “We haven’t come this far and fought this hard to have the election stolen from us.” [Twitter, 11/04/21] 

Paul Gosar Is An Outspoken Defender Of The January 6 Rioters, Who He Calls “Peaceful Protestors,” And Reportedly Offered Them A “Blanket Pardon”

Gosar Referred To The Rioters As “Peaceful Protestors,” And Claimed That Ashli Babbitt Was “Executed.” “[Gosar] has also been outspoken in his defense of US Capitol rioters, calling them ‘peaceful protestors’ who were being harassed by the Justice Department. One of Trump’s most ardent supporters, Gosar also said that Ashli Babbitt, a protestor who was shot by Capitol Police on January 6 and later died from her wounds, was ‘executed.’” [Business Insider, 10/24/21] 

Gosar Allegedly Offered A “Blanket Pardon” To Rioters For Another Investigation Ahead Of January 6th. “GOP congressman Paul Gosar encouraged pro-Trump rally organizers to plan protests in Washington DC on January 6 by telling them they would get a ‘blanket pardon’ for another, unrelated investigation, according to two of the protest’s planners.” [Business Insider, 10/24/21] 

Gosar Told January 6th Rioters How Much He Appreciated The Work They Had Been Doing Ahead Of January 6. “The two anonymous sources said Gosar told them: ‘I was just going over the list of pardons and we just wanted to tell you guys how much we appreciate all the hard work you’ve been doing,’ according to the outlet.” [Business Insider, 10/24/21] 

• Gosar Tweeted, “After 4 Years Of #Notmypresident We’re Expected To Roll Over And Let Them Steal An Election? I Don’t Think So.” ”After 4 years of #NotMyPresident we’re expected to roll over and let them steal an election? I don’t think so.” [Twitter, 11/07/20] 

Gosar Wants To Take Steps To Dispose Public Lands In Favor Of “Private Property Rights”  

Paul Gosar Has Called For Inventorying Public Lands “For Disposal.” “Rep. Gosar, who has a propensity for inflammatory proposals and rhetoric, recently called for the BLM to create an inventory of public lands that would be ‘eligible for disposal’ and criticized the recent review of the federal coal leasing program, calling it ‘shameful.’” [Adventure Journal, 04/11/16] 

 Rep. Gosar’s Priorities For Land Use? Private Property Rights And Local Control. “Gosar, chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, said House Republicans are largely united on land-use issues. He noted many Freedom Caucus members and GOP leaders like Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) belong to the Western Caucus, which has long pushed a libertarian approach to federal land management. ‘We all are committed to protecting private property rights, strengthening local control, fostering economic growth, preserving multiple use of public land and increasing energy independence,’ said Gosar.” [E&E, 05/17/21] 

Representative Gosar Shows Repeated Contempt For Tribal Sovereignty, Including Calling Native Americans “Wards Of The Federal Government” And Suggesting The Arizona National Guard Could Blockade A Native Reservation To Test Its U.S. Allegiance. 

Gosar Called Native Americans “Wards Of The Federal Government” In A Meeting About The Proposed Rio Tinto Mine, An Antiquated Sentiment That Erodes Tribal Sovereignty

At A Meeting About The Proposed Rio Tinto Mining Land Swap, Gosar Called Native Americans “Wards Of The Federal Government.” “U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar’s reference to American Indians as “wards of the federal government” has struck a harsh chord with tribal members and legal experts in the days following a discussion about a controversial Arizona land deal that would make way for the country’s largest copper mine. […] One topic they addressed was a proposal to swap 2,400 acres of southeastern Arizona’s Tonto National Forest for about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout the state controlled by a subsidiary of global mining giant Rio Tinto. Stago said the proposal was disrespectful to tribal sovereignty.” [AZ Central, 12/11/14]

Phil Stago, A Member Of The White Mountain Apache Tribe, Said Gosar’s Characterization Of Native Americans As “Wards Of The Federal Government” Revealed Underlying Sentiments That The Government Does Not View Tribes As Truly Sovereign. “At the meeting, Phil Stago, a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, called the bill disrespectful to tribal sovereignty. “I don’t like our ancestral lands being raided by the US Congress,” he said, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. Gosar responded that archaeological and historical investigations had found no documented proof that the area was sacred to the Apache Tribe. In response to Stago’s sovereignty concerns he said, “You’re still wards of the federal government.” Stago told the Associated Press that the phrase is antiquated and ignores advances made in tribes managing their own affairs and seeking equal representation when it comes to projects proposed on land they consider sacred. “He kind of revealed the truth — the true deep feeling of the federal government: ‘Tribes, you can call yourselves sovereign nations, but when it comes down to the final test, you’re not really sovereign because we still have plenary authority over you’,” Stago said.” [RT News, 12/11/14]

Paul Gosar Suggested That The Arizona National Guard Could Surround And Blockade The Tohono O’odham Nation To Ensure “No One Passes” And Send The Message “You’re Either America And Arizona First. Or You’re Mexico First” On Immigration Issues

Gosar Suggested That If Kari Lake Won Her Ariona Gubernatorial Election, She Could Order The State’s National Guard To Surround And Blockade The Tohono O’odham Nation And Ensure That “No One Passes” To Tell The Tohono O’odham, “You’re Either America And Arizona First. Or You’re Mexico First.” “In the days leading up to the 2022 election, Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar made an extraordinary claim about what the his [sic] party’s gubernatorial nominee in the state, Kari Lake, might do in the name of stopping undocumented immigration if she wins office. In a little-noticed interview on the October 28 edition of the Rumble show “In The Trenches with Teddy Daniels,” Gosar said Lake could order the state’s National Guard to surround and blockade the Tohono O’odham Nation, a Native American reservation that borders Mexico, ensuring that “no one passes.” […] “We outline them, all—with all our National Guard. And we say no one passes. Well, that tells the Tohono O’odham, you’re either America and Arizona first. Or you’re Mexico first. And Mexico doesn’t recognize you. Oh, that’s a good one.”” [Tucson Sentinel, 11/08/22]