GOP Rep. Paul Gosar claims to know nothing about fundraiser with far-right group

His face is on the invitation, but Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday said he knows nothing about an upcoming fundraiser in his honor hosted by America First, a group that promotes white nationalist ideas.

"I have no idea what's going on," Gosar said when asked about the invite. "That's news to me. There's no fundraiser scheduled on Friday." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) backed him up, telling The Washington Post he spoke to Gosar and "he says he doesn't have — that it's not real. That he doesn't have anything on his schedule."

The invitation, featuring photos of Gosar and America First leader Nick Fuentes, has been shared online by multiple people, including former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.). Riggleman tweeted the image out on Monday, saying he found it on a Telegram channel linked to Fuentes. "A sitting member of Congress fundraising with AFPAC," he said. "That's where we are. And he sits on committees. Telegram is a conspiracy and white nationalist fantasy land — that's where Gosar hangs evidently. A dangerous time."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The invitation says it was "paid for by Nicholas Fuentes and authorized by Gosar for Congress Committee" and states that the fundraiser's date, time, and location will be announced on Thursday. After the image started going viral, Gosar struck a defiant tone, tweeting on Monday night, "Not sure why anyone is freaking out. I'll say this: there are millions of Gen Z, Y, and X conservatives. They believe in America First. They will not agree 100 percent on every issue. No group does. We will not let the left dictate our strategy, alliances, and efforts. Ignore the left."

Gosar was the keynote speaker at an America First PAC event in February, where Fuentes called the Jan. 6 insurrection "awesome" and claimed the United States is losing its "white demographic core." Fuentes and Gosar's campaign did not respond on Tuesday to the Post's requests for comment.