What’s more concerning: that a Republican congressman has religious liberty fundamentally backward or that he’s focused on harassing grassroots conservatives while the GOP presidential frontrunner is indicted with the latest of 91 charges?
On Tuesday, freshman Rep. Max Miller from Ohio went on X, formerly known as Twitter, to decry a call for “faith in Jesus Christ alone” as “bigoted.” A post from an Ohio activist apparently set him off.
“There’s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone,” wrote Lizzie Marbach.
Miller, who is Jewish, took offense.
“This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen,” Miller wrote, demanding Marbach “Delete it,” because she had “gone too far.”
“Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion,” he added.
It’s quite a comment from a congressman who spoke at the 30-year anniversary of the apparently bigoted Ohio Christian Alliance.
Miller didn’t stop there.
In the replies to Marbach’s post, Miller wrote, “God says that Jewish people are the chosen ones, but yet you say we have no hope.”
“Thanks for your pearl of wisdom today,” Miller added.
The posts got deservedly mocked all over the website.
Kingsley Cortes from the Center for Renewing America asked whether Miller had joined “the Squad.” But hours later, even squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota showed herself to be a better ally to Christians than the GOP lawmaker.
“Stating the core beliefs of principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did,” Omar wrote. “[It’s] religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that.”
Miller apologized for the post after drawing online rebuke.
“I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend,” Miller wrote three hours after the initial post. “I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it.”
Miller’s office, however, did not respond to the Federalist’s repeated inquiries over what the congressman did intend by the Wednesday morning deadline.
Misplaced Priorities
The top priority for Republicans in Congress right now ought to be the nation’s quick descent into banana republic territory. Late Monday, Georgia prosecutors unveiled a new round of indictments against former President Donald Trump, bringing the total charges against the lead candidate for the 2024 GOP White House nomination to 91.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump with 13 additional counts over his objections to the 2020 election — objections like those Democrats have made for decades.
[READ: How Stupid Is The Georgia Anti-Trump Case? They Indicted Trump For Tweeting At People To Watch TV]
The blatant effort to rig the next election is apparently an afterthought, if any thought at all, on the minds of Republican lawmakers like Miller as well as leaders in the Senate.
While House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at least put out an immediate statement, the silence of top GOP Senate leaders on past Trump indictments has been on replay this week, with Mitch McConnell still missing in action. Miller has also aimed less firepower at the latest indictment than at another Ohioan for sharing the gospel. But at least he made time to tweet about inflation.
House Republicans, meanwhile, have the power to do more than put out statements if they wanted to. The weaponized FBI could be defunded, for starters — but instead the agency remains on track to get a shiny new headquarters.
