(Newsworthy.news) – A GOP legislator was disciplined recently for posting an extremist conspiracy-riddled image on social media.
Michigan Rep. Josh Schriver had his assignment in committee and his staff taken from him on February 12, following a social media post that pointed to “the great replacement” conspiracy theory.
The theory is grounded on the conviction that non-white citizens and immigrants are being brought into the United States and other Western nations to replace white voters.
Schriver’s post included a global map depicting far more black figures than white and was captioned, “the great replacement!” The photo and caption were shared from a post by conservative activist Jack Posobiec. Shriver “quote tweeted” the post, adding a depiction of a graph that was indicating a downward trend, presumably pointing to an alleged decrease in white influence.
Joe Tate, the Democratic speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, responded to the incident by declaring the lower legislative branch of the Wolverine State would not tolerate speech that was “racist, hateful and bigoted” and said the promotion of “debunked theories” leads to “hostile and uncomfortable environments.”
Six days after the controversial message was shared on X—the post is dated February 6—Tate rescinded Schriver’s general access to resources within his office position and removed his ability to serve on House committees. Although Schriver is still permitted to vote on issues on the House floor, he must now go through Tate for resources and to be involved in committee actions.
Tate is responsible for allocating staff and funding to the individual offices of representatives, per Michigan House rules.
Schriver, who began his first two-year term as a state lawmaker after winning a 2022 election, later defended his use of free speech on social media, following the backlash he received.
The lawmaker told a local outlet that he is “opposed to racists” and “race baiters” as well as “victim politics.” He maintained that he considers what he called the “agenda to demoralize” and lessen white influence “strange.”
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