The Republican Party is what scientists and psychiatrists might call a “hot mess,” or a “garbage fire,” or “a fascist organization” these days. Whether it is the transparent anti-democracy hypocrisy of its leadership in calling for investigations into unfounded accusations from right-wing radio hosts while voting against investigations into very obvious physical attacks on our legislative branch of government, or if it’s simply the continued incendiary and baseless rhetoric of anti-shadow government conspiracy theories, the Republican Party has made it clear that they are not, if they ever were, a political party interested in a country run for and by the people.

The main thrust of all these truly awful activities on the part of the Republican Party is money and power. Because GOP officials have no policy ideas, and the handful they once had have turned out to be used car lemons, they have found that the best way to make money is to peddle fear, hate, and conspiracy. The last part of this equation has always been implied in conservative fearmongering, but it has now become front and center. It isn’t that Donald Trump pioneered the blunt lying practiced by the right in our country; he just did it better than the rest. As distasteful as Donald Trump is, he is somehow—at least—perceived as less gross than Ted Cruz. 

Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona took time away from denying he was going to join a second fundraiser for white nationalists this week to reportedly send out a fundraising email. That email has all kinds of truly abhorrent claims in it.

Washington Post reporter Mike DeBontis tweeted out a screenshot of the purported email. In it, Gosar describes himself as “an American First warrior” who will “stand up to the cancel culture vultures that surround me from the left and the right.” Narcissist says what? After dedicating another couple of paragraphs to hoisting himself on his own cross and explaining how “crazed liberals” and “far-left media” are persecuting him, he goes in on his own special idea of how to investigate the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

He ends it with the old, give me money.

Gosar isn’t alone. He’s just asking directly for money off of the commercials for this conspiracy theory that Tucker Carlson, suspected human trafficker Rep. Matt Gaetz, and super creep Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have been pretending is news the past few months. All of these people, and maybe particularly Gosar himself, have really been hysterical in their attempts to obfuscate any real investigation into the events surrounding Jan. 6, 2021.

Gosar is a well-documented crummy person. The people who have known him best—his brothers and sisters—believe him to be a traitor to our country, and have campaigned against him vigorously. Well-known antisemite and white nationalist Nick Fuentes has been promoting a July 2 fundraiser in tandem with his “White Boy Summer Tour” with Gosar, something these two creeps have done before.* Gosar, after tweeting out a cryptic statement about not believing the left, decided to sort of deny he knew anything about anything. “I have no idea what’s going on. That’s news to me. There’s no fundraiser scheduled on Friday.” 

Do I believe him? Context clues and all of the evidence in the world points to the fact that Paul Gosar is a liar who lies a lot and says lying things. 

*Rep. Paul Gosar chose to speak to Fuentes’ crew of bigots—for money—instead of being present in Washington, D.C., to vote on the American Family Plan during the pandemic. Think about that.