Paul Nehlen

Paul Nehlen is an American businessman, politician, Republican, fascist, "free speech" advocate of #ShallNotCensor, Christian, and a political candidate in his second (failed) attempt to replace his rival Paul Ryan in the Republican Primary for Wisconsin 1st District in 2018. Nehlen previously challenged Ryan in 2016 and lost in the Republican primary by 15.9% to Ryan's 84.1%.Paul Nehlen Ballotpedia. However, Nehlen is infamous for the fact that he has been associated with the alt-right and as such has engaged in their typical online behavior such as posting their memes.https://forward.com/fast-forward/390863/paul-nehlen-goes-on-shekel-for-hire-rant Most notably he has read Kevin MacDonald's discredited Culture of Critique (a book arguing that Judaism is a "group evolutionary strategy") in one tweet.https://forward.com/fast-forward/390936/congressional-candidate-paul-nehlen-reads-neo-nazis-favorite-academic/
==His political views==
===Evidence of his Antisemitism===
To get you a good idea of what Paul Nehlen's views on Jews are then read his tweets on his (now suspended) Twitter account:
===It's Okay to be White, err, Nehlen===
Nehlen has also posted tweets on his now suspended Twitter account that include the phrase It's OK to be white a common alt-right/white nationalist slogan pretty much making Nehlen a white nationalist. He has also posted a variation of the phrase called "It's Okay to be Nehlen" as part of his Congressional campaign:
===Islamophobia===
In addition to hating Jews and being a white nationalist, Nehlen is also an Islamophobe who hates Muslims as summed up by this one tweet:
In citing Article 6 of the Constitution, Nehlen seems to be alleging the wingnut conspiracy idea of Creeping Sharia.
===Anti-immigration===
Like his fellow Republicans and Donald Trump, Nehlen also wants to build a wall on the United States-Mexico border best described in this tweet:
==Curt Schilling interview and subsequent trolling==
In a now-infamous incident, Breitbart's Curt Schilling interviewed Paul Nehlen. Unfortunately, things escalated quickly when ThinkProgress obtained audio from the interview and leaked it out to the public. Since then, Schilling has distanced himself from Nehlen, saying there was "[n]o positive benefit to giving [Nehlen] air time".https://www.mediaite.com/online/curt-schilling-disinvites-paul-nehlen-from-radio-show-after-ignoring-breitbarts-effort-to-cut-ties/ In response, Nehlen began to troll and harass Schilling by gathering his Twitter supporters to attack him and the "Jewish media" stating he was going to "decimate them all."How The Alt-Right — And Paul Ryan's Challenger — Coordinate To Fight The "Jewish Media" by Charlie Warzel (January 13, 2018 at 1:19 a.m.) BuzzFeed News.
==At war with the media==
Nehlen engaged in a Twitter war with the Jewish conservative journalist (editor of Commentary and columnist for the New York Post) from October to December 2017.jpodhoretz from:pnehlen Twitter (archived from (19 Jan 2018 20:40:42 UTC). During the war, Nehlen issued a thinly-veiled threat, "Do us all a favor, Podhoretz. Eat a bullet.",Do us all a favor, Podhoretz. Eat a bullet. by Paul Nehlen (8:22 PM - 6 Dec 2017) Twitter (archived from December 7, 2017).Paul Ryan’s GOP challenger tells columnist to 'eat a bullet' (Dec. 07, 2017) AP. that was subsequently deleted though another similar Tweet was active until his account was suspended in February 2018 (see below).Unsurprisingly John, a few of your female co-workers ordered this version. by Paul Nehlen (4:43 PM - 17 Jan 2018) Twitter (archived from January 17, 2018). Nehlen also posted a series of (now deleted) anti-Semitic tweets with photos of executives at media companies (including NBC, CNN and Fox) marked with the to indicate they were Jewish.https://forward.com/fast-forward/392656/alt-right-candidate-paul-nehlen-goes-on-twitter-rant-about-jewish-media/
Apparently, even the far-right Breitbart News found him to be too extreme after he was revealed to have been reading Kevin MacDonald's Culture of Critique. One of Steve Bannon's advisers Arthur Schwartz said that "Nehlen is dead to us."http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/27/media/paul-nehlen-steve-bannon-breitbart/index.html
==Fake Mossad retweeting==
One of the more infamous incidents Nehlen has gotten himself into was retweeting a fake Mossad account on December 29, 2017. He posted this tweet with the words "I notice things @FBI". Little did he know that the "Mossad" account was satirical.http://www.jpost.com/OMG/The-Mossad-twitter-account-that-fooled-the-world-522644
==Jew list controversy==
Once again, Nehlen made the headlines when he posted the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of 74 individuals that he claimed were Jews on January 31, 2018. Needless to say, it caused much controversy, and critics noted that several individuals listed weren't even Jewish (such as Persian Huffington Post journalist Yashar Ali). It was also denounced as anti-Semitic.Republican Candidate Who Appears on White Supremacist Podcasts Publishes List of 'Jews' in the Media by Michael Edison Hayden (1/30/18 at 6:53 PM) Newsweek.
==That racist Meghan Markle photo and Twitter ban==
Nehlen again made headlines when, on February 11, 2018, he posted a racist photo of Prince Harry's bride and actress Meghan Markle (who describes herself as half-white and half-black)Meghan Markle: I'm More Than An 'Other' (Dec 22, 2016) Elle UK. with her appearance and looks altered to the recently-discovered Cheddar ManLivni, Ephrat. DNA testing of a 10,000-year-old British skeleton upends a common idea about race. Quartz. February 8, 2018. (which revealed that early Britons were dark-skinned with blue eyes) with the words "Honey, does this tie make my face look pale".Honey, does this tie make my face look pale? by @pnehlen (15:27 - 9 feb. 2018) Twitter (archived from February 11 2018) As you would expect from Nehlen, this caused much controversy, with Markle's co-star Patrick J. Adams posting on his Twitter account:
Despite Nehlen defending this tweet as a joke, needless to say, Twitter officially suspended his account.Alt-Right GOP Candidate Paul Nehlen Suspended From Twitter After Racist Meghan Markle Posting by Tom Porter (2/12/18 at 5:08 AM) Newsweek.
This led, inevitably, to ongoing use by alt-right trolls of his name, image, and other references in tweets and their profiles."Paul Nehlen is my shepherd." Twitter user @Vanillaviceroy profile page, as accessed Sep. 20, 2019.
==Doxxing and Gab suspension==
After being suspended from Twitter Nehlen moved to using Gab, and, during this time, had taken to doxxing his critics there, and on his "Nehlen for Congress" website."That is correct." (in answer to "So you’re still going to dox people just not on gab where it’s against the Tos") Paul Nehlen (January 27, 2018) Gab (archived from 2 Feb 2018 01:37:16 UTC).What Does America First Mean? #NoCuckZone: It means not backing down to people like this, and putting America First into action with every breath you take. Paul Nehlen for Congress (archived from 30 Jan 2018 20:41:12 UTC). Nehlen's expressed views started to become more overtly racist and antisemitic, including an appearance on David Duke's podcast, and promoting a book that contained Charles Manson's justification for violent Neo-Nazi terrorism.
This earned him criticism from members of the alt-right who felt he was going too far, and a more subtle approach was necessary to persuade people to join them.Not Even White Nationalists Like Paul Nehlen Anymore (4/6/18 3:26 PM) Right Wing Watch In response, Nehlen began doxxing his critics, despite warnings from Gab to stop, culminating in the doxxing of an alt-right propagandist who went by the name of "Ricky Vaughn," which was the last straw, earning him a ban from the platformEven The Alt-Right Is Sick Of Paul Nehlen (4/5/18) Fast Forward and the disavowal of many former allies, including Richard Spencer,(https://archive.fo/u4wjT On the Internet, doxxing is the equivalent of nuclear war: it is brutal and leaves a toxic aftermath and unintended consequences. I disagreed with a lot (not all) of what Ricky Vaughn wrote recently. But nothing he said came close to warranting a doxxing strike. #IStandWithRicky (7:08 PM - 5 Apr 2018) Twitter] The Right Stuff founder Mike Enoch,I stand with Ricky. Doxing is inexcusable behavior. #IStandWithRicky (1:22 PM - 5 Apr 2018) Twitter and Baked Alaska.Holy shit this Ricky Vaughn thing is fucked. when did people start thinking doxxing is okay? (4/5/2018) Gab
==Facebook ban==
In 2019, Facebook banned Nehlen and several other individuals (Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson, Louis Farrakhan, Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer) as "dangerous individuals and organizations".Facebook Bans Alex Jones, Louis Farrakhan And Other 'Dangerous' Individuals by Matthew S. Schwartz (May 3, 20198:12 AM ET) NPR.Community Standards: 2. Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Facebook.
==Other stuff==
Nehlen once called Richard Lawler (editor of Engadget), "Tyrone" (a derogatory term used toward African-Americans) as an insult.Run along Tyrone. by Paul Nehlen (9:10 pm - 30 Nov 2017) Twitter (archived from January 4, 2018). He has also retweeted an image showing Paul Ryan falling from a helicopter, in reference to the "free helicopter rides" alt-right meme.https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/bannon-backed-candidate-advocates-murdering-paul-ryan-with-a-fascist-death-flight/ He also posted Fashwave imagery on his now-suspended Twitter account on December 13, 2017, with neon 80s imagery mixed with the Statue of Liberty and the words "Save America" with Nehlen himself front.Save America by Paul Nehlen (5:09 PM - 13 Dec 2017) Twitter (archived from 4 Feb 2018 01:58:40 UTC). He was also once interviewed by The Right Stuff's Fash the Nation.https://fashthenation.com/2017/12/paul-nehlen-is-the-model/ Additionally, Nehlen was interviewed by white nationalist, anti-Semite, and former-KKK leader David Duke on his radio showPaul Nehlen Cozies Up To David Duke In Podcast Appearance by Ari Feldman (January 31, 2018) Forward.
Nehlen also was interviewed by alt-right media outlet Red Ice and promised to target the ADL by stripping its 501(c)(3) status. He also mentioned David Duke and Kevin MacDonald once again noting he's had phone calls with them.Paul Nehlen Takes Personal Calls From White Supremacists and Wants to Target the ADL. (February 8, 2018) Angry White Men.
In June 2019, he encouraged his followers to dox and harass transgender individuals. White Nationalist Threats Against Transgender People Are Escalating, Southern Poverty Law Center. He also was one of the people involved in the Straight Pride parades in Boston, Massachusetts.https://thinkprogress.org/boston-straight-pride-means-more-far-right-abuse-of-trans-people-a4ed06427125/ For those unaware, straight pride is used as a euphemism for homophobia, especially in alt-right/far-right circles.
As of 2019, he's somehow managed to become even more insane by embracing terrorism "accelerationism", commending far-right terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Poway, CA among others, saying that he "wouldn't be opposed to somebody leading a million Robert Bowers to the promised land."Patrick Little And Paul Nehlen Are Feuding Over How To Start A Race War (April 29, 2019) Angry White Men. 
==Alt-right vocabulary==
Lest there be any doubt, here are some of the terms that Nehlen uses from the Alt-right:
==External links==
*Nehlen's Twitter account (now suspended as of February 12, 2018)
*Nehlen's Gab account (now suspended as of April 5, 2018)
*Nehlen for Congress (defunct so not running in 2020)
==References==
Category:Alt-right
Category:Anti-LGBT bigots
Category:Antisemites
Category:Business
Category:Christians
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Doxers
Category:Fascists
Category:Holocaust denialists
Category:Homophobes
Category:Islamophobes
Category:Internet kooks
Category:Living people
Category:Neo-Nazis
Category:Paleoconservatives
Category:Politics
Category:Racists
Category:Right-wing activists
Category:Transphobes
Category:Trolls
Category:United States politicians
Category:Great Replacement conspiracy theorists