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Republican Rodney Garcia (Montana State representative) has earned the ire of not only his opponents but the condemnation of his own party. He claimed that it was legal for socialists to be shot or imprisoned. Garcia commented on Friday during a Republican party gathering in Helena, Montana. He said that he was concerned about socialists entering our government and socialists everywhere in Billings. He also said the U.S constitution calls for socialists to either be shot or jailed. On Saturday, a local reporter asked Garcia to clarify his statements which prompted the state representative to double down on his comments. Garcia said, “So actually in the Constitution of the United States if they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot”.

The reporter pointed out that Garcia couldn’t cite where in the constitution it called for the death or imprisonment of socialists, and when asked if it would be fair to shoot or jail a socialist living in the state. Garcia replied and said, “Yes. They’re enemies of the free-state. What do we do with our enemies in war, in Vietnam, and Afghanistan? What did we do”? He added, “I agree with my Constitution. That’s what makes us free. We’re not a democracy, we’re a Republic Constitution”. Garcia faced criticism for the comments, including from inside his own party. The executive director of the Montana Republican Party, Spenser Merwin also condemned Garcia’s comments.

Merwin said, “Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable. It’s disappointing that this isolated incident took away from the weekend’s events which showcased the strength of our statewide candidates and the importance of the upcoming election”. The state’s Democrats quickly attacked Garcia and his history of controversial statements. The state’s Democratic Party chair, Robyn Driscoll criticized the state representative in a comment. Driscoll said, “Rodney Garcia has brazenly flaunted his conviction for a domestic dispute, called single moms deadbeats, and was only elected because he created an illegal campaign cash scam. Now he’s publicly calling for people to be shot”.