Pro-Trump white nationalist calls third-party candidate 'closet homosexual' in robocall
The Donald Trump campaign condemned a robocall by a self-identified white nationalist to Utah voters that accuses independent candidate Evan McMullin of being a "closet homosexual."
William Johnson, a prominent white supremacist, voices the robocall which cost $2,000 to reach more than 190,000 Utah landlines. Trump is in danger of losing Utah, a Republican stronghold since 1964, because of McMullin's strong showing in the state whose large Mormon population has not enthusiastically rallied behind the Republican candidate.
"Hello, My name is William Johnson. I am a farmer and a white nationalist.," the robocall says. "Evan McMullin is an open borders, amnesty supporter. Evan has two mommies. His mother is a lesbian, married to another woman. Evan is okay with that. Indeed, Evan supports the Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. Evan is over 40 years old and is not married and doesn’t even have a girlfriend. I believe Evan is a closet homosexual. Don’t vote for Evan McMullin, vote for Donald Trump. He will respect all women and be a president we can all be proud of."
McMullin, a former CIA operative, called the robocall "another desperate attack" from Trump "and his racist supporters as he continues to lose ground in Utah," in a tweet. He also called the message consistent with Trump's "bigoted, deceitful campaign and vision for America."
McMullin said Johnson's message won't work on Utah voters. "I'm straight and that's all I have to say about that. It's not something that I feel like I have to defend," McMullin told CNN in an interview. "Of course I'm not happy that he attacked my mother and I'm not happy about the approach it took, but I think it's going to backfire here in Utah."
The Trump campaign denied any involvement with Johson's robocall. "We strongly condemn this rhetoric and these activities of which we have no knowledge," Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement.
Johnson, who had trouble pronouncing McMullin's name, admitted that he did not actually know if McMullin is gay during a CNN interview. "I just said that I think that he might be," he said.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Johnson once proposed a constitutional amendment to revoke the citizenship of all non-white Americans. Although he lives in California and not Utah, Johnson did attend Bringham Young University. He said the robocall was paid for by his American National Super PAC, which has $7,165.85 cash on hand, according to an FEC filing.
Johnson is not the first white nationalist to fund a pro-Trump robocall. In August, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke urged voters to back Trump and himself in his run for the U.S. Senate. The Trump campaign condemned and disavowed Duke's robocall.
Trump trashes election rival: Evan McMullin
