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"White nationalist" William Johnson condemns independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin because his mother is married to a woman, and claims McMullin is gay and closeted.
A white supremacist is making robocalls attacking Evan McMullin, an independent candidate for president, because McMullin's mother is married to another woman -- and also saying the candidate is gay and closeted.
Some conservatives view McMullin, a former CIA operative and Republican congressional staffer, as a good alternative to Donald Trump, even though the independent is on the ballot in only 11 states. One of those is his native state of Utah, where some polls show him within a percentage point of Trump -- and that's where self-described "white nationalist" and Trump supporter Williams Johnson unleashed his homophobic robocalls Monday, The Daily Beastreports, in a development that also caught the attention of out MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.
"Hello, My name is William Johnson," the recorded call begins. "I am a farmer and a white nationalist. I make this call against Evan McMullin and in support of Donald Trump. "Evan McMullin is an open borders, amnesty supporter. Evan has two mommies. His mother is a lesbian, married to another woman. Evan is OK with that. Indeed, Evan supports the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. Evan is over 40 years old and is not married and doesn't even have a girlfriend. I believe Evan is a closet homosexual."
McMullin's mother, Lanie Bullard McMullin, did indeed marry a woman after her divorce from his father. Evan McMullin, a Mormon, told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this year that he supports only what he calls "traditional marriage," but he accepts that his mother has a different view, and they remain close. Concerning his personal life, he told the paper, "My greatest aspiration is to be a husband and father" -- which he could do if he were gay, but he has never said he is.
Johnson is self-funding the robocalls in Utah, the Beast reports, as he funded previous ones in New England during the primary season, urging residents not to vote for a "Cuban," that is, Marco Rubio. That call said white people are being subjected to "gradual genocide" because they are afraid to speak up -- they might be called racist.
Johnson, like McMullin a BYU graduate and former Mormon missionary, was a delegate for Trump at the Republican National Convention, despite the Trump campaign's attempts to publically distance themselves from him once his white nationalist views caught media attention. As leader of a political party called the American Freedom Party, Johnson made a $250 contribution to Trump's campaign last year, during the primary season, which Trump returned. But, the Beast reports, recent filings with the Federal Election Commission show additional contributions from Johnson that haven't been refunded.
Trump campaign officials did not immediately respond to the Beast's request for comment. McMullin commented on Twitter, calling Johnson's robocalls "another desperate attack" by "Trump and his racist supporters" and his "bigoted, deceitful campaign and vision for America." The Trump campaign, however, appears to have no connection with the calls, Maddow notes.
Maddow, who referenced the robocall on her show Monday night, said McMullin should wear Johnson's homophobic attack as a "badge of honor. Her discussion of the Johnson call comes toward the end of an in-depth report on racism in American politics; watch the full segment below.
