GOP head tries to get rid of anti-Muslim, anti-gay officer

January 31-2014

The chairman of the national Republican Party has called on a party representative from Michigan to resign for making anti-Muslim and anti-gay remarks.

But David Agema refused to do so.

He balked just hours after Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and Michigan Party Chairman Bobby Schostak jointly called for his resignation.

“For the good of the party, we believe Dave Agema should resign,” Priebus and Schostak said in their statement.

Last March, Agema posted an article on Facebook with an unsubstantiated claim that gays account for half the murders in large cities. In December, he told a party gathering that his experience as an American Airlines pilot made him familiar with efforts by gays to get health insurance coverage because of the ravages of AIDS.

He also came under fire from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for a Facebook posting this month questioning Muslims’ commitment to charity.

CAIR said that when he was a state legislator a few years ago, Agema introduced one of “anti-Sharia” bills that have become popular with ultra-conservatives around the country.

A number of leading Democrats and several Republican members of Michigan’s congressional delegation previously called on him to resign.

“I acknowledge errors in judgment and how I addressed them, feel badly about the impact this has had on many here in the land I love, and have learned valuable lessons about the requirements and responsibilities that are to be expected and honored by all who are in leadership positions, including myself,” Agema said.

He said he appreciates the “charitable efforts” of Muslim-Americans and apologizes for posting an article on Facebook “that has been re-quoted as my words.”

The controversy comes as Republican officials from across the country gathered in Washington for the RNC’s winter meeting. GOP leaders are particularly focused on broadening the party’s appeal to younger voters and minorities.

Each state sends two representatives to the RNC.  Agema did not attend the Washington meeting. In an earlier statement, he said his “liberal critics” would use his attendance as an excuse “for a drawn-out fight between liberals and conservatives within the party.”

GOP Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land, Michigan’s other RNC member elected at a state convention, said in a statement that Agema should resign. She had previously expressed disagreement with Agema but had not asked him publicly to step down until Priebus and Schostak weighed in.

Republican strategist Dennis Lennox, a leader in the coalition to push Agema out, said Priebus’ action “sends the message that Republicans have learned their lesson on tone and messaging.”