In his resignation letter as LNC chair, Bishop-Henchman accused the Mises Caucus of having a "toxic culture" and "bad actors" that is "destroying and driving people away from the party".[27][10][28] In June 2021, former congressman Justin Amash criticized the Mises-controlled New Hampshire affiliate for "edgelording" and being unprofessional in their messaging.[46][47]
Former New Hampshire legislator Caleb Q. Dyer criticized the caucus for claiming neutrality in the culture war "while picking the right-wing side", and called it disingenuous.[10]
In December 2021, Jeremy Thompson, Libertarian Party of Massachusetts Director of Operations explained to the Libertarian National Committee how the comments from Mises-controlled Libertarian Party of New Hampshire were not just "mean words" but “actual harassment”.[48]
In May 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said that "Members of the Libertarian Party are concerned about the Mises Caucus winning control of the party at the May 26 national convention, ushering in an era of collaboration between the U.S.'s largest third party and the hard-right movement inside the Republican Party”.[49] The SPLC said that Caucus chair and founder Michael Heise had cited donations received from Patrick M. Byrne and nominated Daryl Brooks for Governor of Pennsylvania.[49] Both Byrne and Brooks promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, the SPLC said.[50][51]
A leak of Libertarian Party leadership communications reveals crude remarks – including a talking point from anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories and discussions of the Colorado Libertarian Party’s collaboration with the GOP – and raises questions about the party’s adherence to Federal Election Commission rules.
Members of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), the body that steers the national Libertarian Party (LP), engaged in talk of electoral collaboration with state-level Republican party affiliates, according to a leak of some internal communications, and made crude remarks about the LGBTQ+ community. Portions of the leak suggest closeness with a sympathetic political action committee (PAC) that may run afoul of Federal Elections Commission (FEC) regulations, according to a campaign finance expert.
The leak came a year after members of the far-right Mises Caucus (MC) won control of the LNC at the June 2022 Libertarian National Convention. Since then, LP membership and fundraising have dropped. Critics say MC affiliates’ edgy, far-right rhetoric – including anti-LGBTQ+ and pro-secession posts – has contributed to the fall. Internal documents show LNC members acknowledge the declines but cast most of the blame on fundraising software issues.
Miguel Duque, a former LNC representative from Washington state, leaked the cache, which contains hundreds of pages of text messages, a group chat and confidential memos between members of the LNC. The leak became public on Aug. 17. Duque stepped down following the leak. The LNC acknowledged the leak. Hatewatch received the leak from John Hudak, a libertarian critic of the MC.
LNC-Mises PAC questions
The leak reveals interesting aspects of the LNC’s inner workings and its closeness to the MC. The leaked materials suggest a group of LNC representatives had an ongoing chat on an MC Discord server. The MC Discord is an encrypted chat. MC members could see the LNC chat on that server, according to leaked texts. Although MC supporters took over the LNC, the LNC and MC should remain at least partially separate: FEC regulations bar political parties that handle campaigns from collaborating with PACs on advocacy and other aspects of campaigns.
On Dec. 2, 2022, Duque texted at large LNC representative Kathy Yeniscavich that “any back channel chats created for any purpose need to be a lot more selective and exclusive with who is added.”
Yeniscavich replied: “Yes, I don’t like that the Austrians can see our LNC chat. Or at least the [administrators].”
The “Austrians” Yeniscavich referenced are members of the MC, a caucus inside the LP that promotes “paleolibertarianism.” Lew Rockwell and Murray Rothbard pioneered paleolibertarianism, which emphasized far-right aspects such as anti-immigration rhetoric, in the early 1990s to appeal to far-right conservatives. The caucus is named after Ludwig von Mises, an Austrian economist.
Michael Heise heads both the MC and the Mises PAC. There is little separation between the two: PAC filings list the Mises Caucus website as its own and use the MC’s email as its own. The LNC conversation to which Yeniscavich referred operated on the MC Discord server.
The leak suggests that in April, the LNC created a separate Discord server to hold conversations. On April 13, LNC chair Angela McArdle sent a message in the new Discord chat for LNC members that was separate from MC server. Duque leaked this chat.
It remains unclear the extent to which the LNC members discussed LP matters via the chat on the MC Discord server.
Beth Kingsley, who specializes in campaign finance as a partner at the Washington, D.C.-based Harmon Curran law firm, told Hatewatch the chats may be legally problematic. “It would depend what was discussed, and also what the PAC later did with respect to relevant elections,” she said.
The FEC has instituted a “safe harbor rule.” The rule says that if contractors, vendors, political committees or former or current employees have a written policy statement “that creates a firewall,” they are generally safe from FEC investigations, Kingsley said. The firewall should separate individuals who can and cannot speak to outside PACs, the lawyer continued.
Kingsley said most organizations will keep this firewall to preempt investigations where they would be forced to prove no conversations violated regulations. “It’s hard to prove a negative,” Kingsley said.
McArdle responded to Hatewatch’s request for comment by saying it “must be a slow news day. Give my regards to your Luciferian masters.”
She did not respond to a follow-up request by publication time.
Other members of the LNC did not respond to requests for comment.
Extremist in the chat
One exchange reveals McArdle has open communications with the leader of a group the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled an antigovernment extremist organization.
On June 8, McArdle wrote that she received a “tip” about the LP Radical Caucus, which is in opposition to the MC, attempting to “hijack” McArdle’s Zoom meeting.
The tip came from T.J. Kosin, a co-founder of the Proud American Patriots Network (PAPN). PAPN is a Pennsylvania-based antigovernment extremist organization. PAPN started in 2020, according to archived website records. PAPN began organizing against COVID-19 masking at local schools in 2021. Local journalists then exposed the group’s ties to the Three Percenters antigovernment sub-ideology in 2021. PAPN’s website sold Three Percenter clothing for $25 to $35. Kosin denied any connection to the Three Percenters, despite selling their branded merchandise.
McArdle shared a screenshot of a text message conversation she had with Kosin. The entire chat is not visible, but a message where McArdle tells Kosin she paid him for something is visible above messages about the Zoom meeting.
GOP collaboration
Ahead of the June 2022 LP national convention, critics of the MC told Hatewatch they feared their takeover would result in the LP not running candidates in electoral races that were competitive for Republican candidates.
In November 2022, the Libertarian candidate for Arizona’s Senate seat dropped out and endorsed Blake Masters, the far-right GOP candidate. Masters lost to Mark Kelly, who won 51% of the vote to Masters’ 46.5%.
Then, in June, the Libertarian Party of Colorado (LPCO) entered into an agreement with the Colorado GOP not to run candidates if Colorado Republicans made certain pledges.
On June 13, Dustin Blankenship, an at-large LNC representative, wrote in the Discord chat that the agreement was “a bad look.”
Mike Rufo, another LNC at-large representative, responded: “It’s dumb. To publicize it [sic] and the GOP is using them.”
LNC vice chair Andrew Watkins said in the leak he didn’t “necessarily disagree with the strategy, but making it official and public is just dumb.”
LNC representative Otto Dassing responded: “What a sh*t show … Couldn’t just keep their mouths shut. Pretty sure that’s how KYLP operates,” implying the Kentucky Libertarian Party chooses not to run Libertarian candidates in competitive races for GOP candidates.
The Kentucky Libertarian Party did not respond to a request for comment.
McArdle said that same day it was “possibly fine so long as it wasnt [sic] official and they walk it back.”
In August, LPCO unveiled the official pledges it wants Colorado GOP candidates to sign. Among the proposed promises: bans on red light and speeding traffic enforcement cameras and a push for a peace deal with Russia and an end to foreign funding for Ukraine, among other policies.
Republicans so far have expressed hesitancy regarding the pledge.
Anti-LGBTQ+ remark
The leaked Discord chat shows McArdle used an anti-LGBTQ+ talking point and other members made crude remarks about the LGBTQ+ community. Most of the rhetoric focused on trans people. LGBTQ+ rights have become a focal point in the far-right’s culture war. Members of the far right have made conspiratorial claims about members of the LGBTQ+ community “grooming” children in schools and elsewhere, which have led to book bans and violence.
On April 15, Yeniscavich shared a screenshot of a Facebook post by another libertarian that was critical of an anti-transition post McArdle made. McArdle said that “Lolberts,” a pejorative term for libertarians with whom other libertarians disagree, “are big mad I dont [sic] think 14 year olds [sic] have the right to chop off their penises just cuz [sic] they watched a YouTube video of some pedo telling them to do it.”
McArdle’s comment echoed conspiracy theories about pedophiles using LGBTQ+ equality to groom children for abuse in schools or public restrooms.
Studies show those close to children’s families commit the majority of child abuse. About 27% of girls and 5% of boys experience sexual abuse, according to a 2014 study. The Indiana Center for the Prevention of Youth Abuse and Suicide says more “than 90% of abusers are people children know and trust.” The center further says “30-40%” are members of their own family and “50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.”
On April 15, Blankenship posted a photo of Tyler Harris, the former executive director of the LNC. Blankenship said Harris “said to tell [McArdle] hello! He’ll be coming for her in 24,” the year when LP members will elect party leadership at a national convention.
Blankenship said in the chat that his friend “thought Tyler was a gay man” and Blankenship “had to explain” that Harris has a wife and kids.
“I fully expect him to transition in the next few years,” McArdle responded.
On April 17, Blankenship shared a Facebook post from Harris in the leaked chat. In the post, Harris shared a cocktail he had created.
Watkins responded that Harris is “def gay.” McArdle asked if Harris is “gay or trans?”
Blankenship responded: “He’s a lesbian trans woman.”
Blankenship then went on to describe a “fraternity brother” who transitioned, then married another trans person. Blankenship said his friend, to whom Blankenship refers as “she/they,” is “a huge libertarian. … She wants to run for office and become a party leader.”
McArdle replied: “Lol never show her our [messages]!”
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
According to a December New York Times/Sienna poll, a plurality of Americans—44 percent—±support a ceasefire, including 50 percent of women, 62 percent of 18–29 year-olds, 59 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of those who voted for Biden in 2020.
Sixty-seven members of the Democratic caucus in the House, including 13 members from Pelosi’s California delegation have already joined the call. These include centrists like Don Beyer, Debbie Dingell and Judy Chu, Pelosi allies like Jan Schakowsky and Jared Huffman, as well as progressive leaders like Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Jamie Raskin and members of the “Squad.” They are joined by leading Senate Democrats including Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen and Dick Durbin.
The White House has labeled such calls “repugnant and disgraceful.” Pelosi attributes them to Putin’s machinations. But it is the White House and the former Speaker that are out of touch with the country and the world. In reality, the growing support is not a product of Putin’s “financing” or of Russian disinformation but of people moved by their conscience and their sense of decency.
Which leads one to ask the former Speaker, to paraphrase Joseph Welch’s famous query to Joe McCarthy in the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearing: “Have you no sense of decency Madam?”
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman.
Palestinian officials and human rights groups are denouncing the move by the United States and at least 12 other countries to temporarily suspend funding to UNRWA — that’s the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees — after Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of helping Hamas stage the October 7th attack. Nine of the employees have been fired. UNRWA said two of the accused employees are dead.
UNRWA is one of the largest employers in Gaza, with a staff of over 13,000. It provides aid to most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The agency has long been targeted by Israel. Since Israel’s assault on Gaza began, over 150 UNRWA staffers have been killed.
Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said on social media, quote, “The day after @ICJ concluded that Israel is plausibly committing Genocide in Gaza, some states decided to defund UNRWA, collectively punishing millions of Palestinians at the most critical time, and most likely violating their obligations under the Genocide Convention,” unquote.
Meanwhile, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the freezing of funds at a time when famine looms in Gaza. He said, quote, “Palestinians in Gaza did not need [this] additional collective punishment. This stains all of us,” he said. And the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has urged donor nations to continue supporting UNRWA.
For more, we’re going to Oslo, Norway, where we’re joined by Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Norway has decided to continue its funding of UNRWA.
Jan, thanks so much for being with us. Can you start off by responding to the cutting off of funding at a time when, among other things, Gaza is under bombardment and is on the edge of famine?
JAN EGELAND: Yeah, it’s the worst possible reaction to these allegations that some — I mean, maybe a dozen — of the 13,000 UNRWA aid workers betrayed our humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence and participated in the horrific attacks on Israel. That, however, was met immediately with the response of UNRWA by, as you said, firing these staff and now having an independent investigation. What the donors did — the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Italy, Finland, Netherlands, Australia and some others did — was to cut all aid to the children of Gaza, to the women in Gaza, to the completely innocent there. It’s the worst possible move, at a time when this trapped population is under bombardment. Do not punish the many innocent for the sins of the few who did very wrong, it seems.
AMY GOODMAN: Now it will be interesting to see if Israel hands over the evidence for the U.N. to investigate this situation, because we’re talking about an immediate cutoff by many of these nations, suspending weapons. I wanted to read you a clip of the former Israeli official Noga Arbell, who said, “It will be impossible to win the war if we do not destroy UNRWA, and this destruction must begin immediately.” The Prime Minister Netanyahu said there will be no UNRWA in postwar Gaza. Your response, Jan Egeland? And talk about the — you’re the head of large humanitarian aid group. How important is UNRWA to all of the groups, not to mention the people on the ground?
JAN EGELAND: UNRWA is completely essential. I mean, it’s true that I lead the NRC, Norwegian Refugee Council. We’re a large humanitarian group, across the world. We’re on all sides of all conflict lines, for the displaced and the refugees. And we’ve been in Gaza for two decades. We’ve been funded all over the world by the United States and by 40 other donor nations and international agencies.
In Gaza, we have to recognize that all of us combined other groups are not even close to be what UNRWA is for the people of Gaza. UNRWA was the response to the creation of Israel and the 1948 War that displaced so many of the original Palestinian population to Gaza, to the West Bank and elsewhere. UNRWA was then created to give them relief and works. Since then, there has not been a political, peaceful settlement. And that is because the international community has not been able to force the parties, Israel and the Palestinians, to settle this conflict, and thereby we end up by having humanitarian groups like, first and foremost, UNRWA provide for the population.
So, to undermine and undercut UNRWA as extremists, which the Israeli government are doing, is basically to say, “We’re going to punish the women and children, the innocent, on the other side for what some extremists have done, in a situation of utter turmoil and perpetuous conflict, that we’re not ourselves willing to try to settle with talks on a future.” It’s very wrong.
And the international donors must stay with the humanitarian organizations, like Norway did. Norway is a large donor, giving much more per capita to Palestinians than any other donor. We stay with UNRWA, and we say, “Good that you terminated all of those contracts and fired these people, and good that there is an investigation, and then we’ll draw the conclusions what we should do for the future.”
AMY GOODMAN: Jan Egeland, what evidence is there of Israel’s charges? Have they handed over the evidence?
JAN EGELAND: As far as I know, it’s not been received by UNRWA or by the U.N. investigators. I hope they will be received, so that they can do a thorough investigation of this, very serious allegations. I read about them in The New York Times. And if it’s true, again, they betrayed all of our principles, really — neutrality, impartiality, etc. — that is so important for us, who are unarmed humanitarian workers in the crossfire around the world.
But, of course, no one who’s working across the Middle East can guarantee that there are not people within our midst that may, in the end, have hidden agendas. Palestinians cannot do that. Israelis cannot do that. We know of many Israelis who have done very bad things in Gaza, shooting at people with white flags. It’s documented and detailed. They’ve even shot their own people with white flags. They have settler organizations, Mafia-style settler organizations, displacing unarmed women and children and families across the West Bank. Many of these are recruited to the Israeli Defense Forces. They belong in jail, but they are in the Israeli Defense Forces. No one can guarantee that there are not problems. Therefore, they have to be investigated, and there has to be action taken every time something happens. But don’t cut funding to people in great need. It’s the worst possible response.
AMY GOODMAN: Jan Egeland, I want to thank you for being with us, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, speaking to us from Oslo. I’m Amy Goodman. This is another edition of Democracy Now!
International aid agencies have said they are “deeply concerned and outraged” at the “reckless” decision by major donors to cut funding to a UN Palestinian aid agency after Israel accused some of its workers of taking part in Hamas’ 7 October attack.
“We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job,” the coalition of 21 agencies, including Oxfam, Save the Children and ActionAid, said in a statement on Monday.
Amnesty International on Monday joined the growing global chorus denouncing Israel's allies for suspending aid to the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency even as they continue to support the Israeli military's war on the Gaza Strip, risking complicity in genocide.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's secretary-general and the former U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, said
that while Israel's claim that a dozen staffers at the refugee agency
played a role Hamas' October 7 attack is "serious and must be
independently investigated," the "alleged actions of a few individuals
must not be used as a pretext for cutting off lifesaving assistance in
what could amount to collective punishment."
"Some of the very governments that announced they will cut off funds to UNRWA over these allegations have, in the meantime, continued to arm Israeli forces despite overwhelming evidence that these arms are used to commit war crimes and serious human rights violations," said Callamard. "Rushing to freeze funds for humanitarian aid, based on allegations that are still being investigated, while refusing to even consider suspending support for the Israeli military is a stark example of double standards."
"Instead of suspending vital funding to those in need," Callamard added, "states should be working to halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups and pushing for an immediate and sustained cease-fire and full humanitarian access to help alleviate devastating suffering."
Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medical workers stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, and opened fire inside the wards of Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, killing three.
The Palestinian Health Ministry condemned the raid and called on the international community to pressure Israel's military to halt such operations in hospitals. A hospital spokesperson said there was no exchange of fire, indicating that it was a targeted killing.
“They are weak now, they always have diarrhea, their faces are yellow,” Hanadi Gamal Saed El Jamara, 38, whose family was displaced from northern Gaza, told CNN on January 9. “My 17-year-old daughter tells me she feels dizziness, my husband is not eating.”
She tries to feed her kids at least once a day, she says, while tending to her husband, a cancer and diabetes patient.
As Gaza spirals toward full-scale famine, displaced civilians and health workers told CNN they go hungry so their children can eat what little is available. If Palestinians find water, it is likely undrinkable.
When relief trucks trickle into the strip, people clamber over each other to grab aid. Children living on the streets, after being forced from their homes by Israel’s bombardment, cry and fight over stale bread. Others reportedly walk for hours in the cold searching for food, risking exposure to Israeli strikes.
Even before the war, two out of three people in Gaza relied on food support, Arif Husain, the chief economist at the World Food Programme (WFP), told CNN. Palestinians have lived through 17 years of partial blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.
Learn more about the looming famine in Gaza.
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