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Do you believe Ex-Trump Chief-Of-Staff, Former-General John Kelly’s account that former President Donald Trump repeatedly praised Hitler?
- Yes
- No
- Unsure
Jones, a Democrat, made comments against Lawler, a Republican, following remarks made by former Trump chief of staff and four-star Marine general John Kelly, who told The New York Times that Trump "certainly falls into the general definition of fascist."
According to the Times, Kelly also said that Trump believed military generals should be loyal to him rather than the Constitution, and that he said more than once that "Hitler did some good things, too," in reference to the former dictator of Nazi Germany.
Kelly reportedly spoke with the Times about these comments in response to Trump's remarks about using the National Guard or military against his domestic political opponents, the newspaper reported; the former president told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo that the military could be used to handle "the enemy from within" on Election Day, according to CNN.
In a post on X made on Tuesday, Oct. 22, Jones, age 37, said it is "disqualifying" for Lawler, age 38, to continue supporting Trump despite Kelly's comments, referencing the Times article in the post.
The issue also came up during a debate between the two candidates hosted by WCBS News on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
In response to a question about whether he would vote to impeach Trump if he tried using the military against political enemies, Lawler said, "At the end of the day, if it talks like a socialist, votes like a socialist – folks, it's socialist," CBS reported.
Jones then criticized Lawler: "If it talks like a fascist and supports a fascist for president of the United States for the third consecutive presidential election, then it's a mini-fascist," according to the outlet.
Jones also attacked Lawler for his support of Trump a second time on X following the debate: "One of the lessons of tonight’s CBS News debate is that when journalists finally ask Mike Lawler tough questions, such as why he’s supporting a presidential candidate who praises Hitler, and why he’s blocking a bipartisan border security bill, he loses his cool and implodes," Jones wrote.
Daily Voice reached out to Lawler multiple times for comment but did not hear back.
Lawler is not the only New York Republican congressional candidate facing pressure to condemn Trump's alleged comments; incumbent Republican Nick LaLota of Long Island's 1st District was criticized by his opponent, Democratic candidate John Avlon, for defending Trump during a televised debate on Wednesday evening.
During Wednesday night's debate on CBS, Lawler also addressed controversy stirred up after the Times reported that he donned blackface while dressing up as Michael Jackson for Halloween while he was a sophomore at the now Manhattan University in 2006:
"I understand why people are offended and I apologize for that, and obviously today that's not something I would do," Lawler said, adding, "But Van Jones, one of his own supporters, went on CNN that night and said, this is not blackface.
"This is not historical minstrel shows meant to degrade Black Americans, and it's a distraction from the real issues impacting Black Americans – from the affordability crisis to public safety to the migrant crisis and the impact that has on our economy and on our workforce," CBS News reported.
The race for the 17th District, which consists of all of Rockland and Putnam counties, most of Northern Westchester, and portions of southern Dutchess County, is proving to be a closely watched one and may help decide which party controls the US House for the next two years, according to CBS.
Lawler narrowly won the seat in 2022 against Democratic incumbent Sean Patrick Maloney.
Before that, he was a member of the New York State Assembly from 2021 to 2022, representing the 97th district in Rockland County.
He also previously worked in the Westchester County Executive's Office as an advisor to Rob Astorino and executive director of the New York State Republican Party, and was once deputy town supervisor in Orangetown.
As for Jones, he represented much of the 17th District in Congress from 2021 to 2023. However, after New York's 2020 redistricting, he moved to Brooklyn and ran for re-election in the 10th Congressional District, losing the Democratic primary to current incumbent Dan Goldman.
He has since moved to Sleepy Hollow to run again for the 17th District seat.
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