GOP Republican Leader EXPOSES Republicans Racism And Sexism - Leaves Republican Party To Join Dems

GOP Republican Leader EXPOSES Republicans Racism And Sexism - Leaves Republican Party To Join Dems

Hawaii GOP leader resigns, blasts 'racism and sexism' in the party, seeks membership with the Democrats. A Hawaii Republican demoted for speaking out against President Trump last month has resigned from the party she once loved because she claims it has become poisoned by “racism and sexism.” And she’s now seeking membership with the Democrats. “This election, I saw members of my party marginalizing and condemning minorities, ethnic or otherwise, and making demeaning comments towards women,” Rep. Beth Fukumoto wrote in a letter announcing her resignation on Wednesday. “So, when I listened as our now top office holder refused to condemn the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, speaking out didn’t seem like a choice.” Fukumoto, the granddaughter of a Japanese-American grocery store owner, said she was appalled when then-candidate Trump first floated the idea of a “Muslim registry” last year. She told her fellow Hawaii Republicans that a registry is “only one step away” from internment camps — something her immigrant grandparents were subjected to in the 1940s. “They told me it was just rhetoric,” she wrote, referring to her party members. “Less than an hour later, we saw the breaking news headline, ‘Trump says he may have supported Japanese interment.’” As Trump’s campaign roared on, Fukumoto said she began to feel increasingly disillusioned with her own party. She attended the Hawaii’s Women’s March in January and told attendants that the President’s campaign remarks about women and minorities were “unacceptable.” “A call for kindness and respect should have been a non-partisan message, but it was controversial within the party,” she wrote. “Within 24 hours, calls for my resignation or censure abounded. My caucus told me that they would remove me from leadership unless I promised to not criticize the president for the remained of his term. That was a promise I simply could not make.” Her refusal to stop criticizing Trump prompted Hawaii’s GOP to censure her and strip away her position as House minority leader. “The leaders that remain in the party either condone the problems I’ve identified or they agree with me but are unwilling to stand up and fight,” she wrote. “If I chose to stay, I would simply become an obstructionist in a political party that doesn’t want to hear my voice or my message. I don’t believe that I can make a difference in the Hawaii Republican Party, but I still believe there’s hope for other Republicans in other states.” Fritz Rohlfing, the chairman of the Hawaii GOP, called Fukumoto's resignation "unfortunate," but complained that she didn't announce her resignation sooner. "She should have resigned her legislative seat first so the Party could have recommended to the Governor several qualified Republicans from whom he could choose to fill her vacancy," Rohlfing said in a statement. President Trump has been repeatedly accused of peddling in xenophobia and racism, and the latest FBI statistics suggest that his campaign rhetoric might have had dire real life consequences. The statistics show that hate crimes against Muslims surged by a staggering 67% in 2015. Trump launched his campaign the same year and announced that he would as President call for “a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” In a follow-up to her Wednesday resignation letter, Fukumoto announced in a video statement that she’s now hoping to join the Hawaii Democratic Party. “If you’re concerned about the direction of our country, our state or your town it’s time to speak up, stand up and work for something better,” she said.

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