Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who has been linked to far-right extremist groups, sent a fundraising email Thursday whining about there not being enough white army recruits, Vice News reports.
“The number of white recruits has plummeted,” Gosar wrote. “It’s a casualty of this cultural skirmish that has left our Army beleaguered and besieged by ‘woke’ ideologies.”
“This is not merely a crisis of numbers,” he added. “It is a crisis of spirit.”
Gosar was responding to an investigation by Miltary.com that found that the number of white army recruits has been declining for the past five years.
While the right has blamed the decline on “wokeness,” Military.com suggested that the decline is due to the booming job market and the fact that young white people make up about 75% of deaths from opiod overdose every year.
In a statement to The Arizona Republic, Gosar’s campaign said the email was not authorized.
“The email was unauthorized, unapproved, and was never seen by Congressman Gosar or anyone on the campaign team,” Gosar’s campaign said. “[It] was sent by a former email vendor whose contract was not renewed years ago. We do not approve of the language used.”
