Leaders at a U. S. Air Force base in North Dakota last week cautioned military personnel to not attend a pro-Trump rally, saying affiliation with such an event could threaten their careers.
According to Fox News on Tuesday, commanders at Minot Air Force Base sent a text to all personnel stationed there warning them about the risk of attending the “Dakota Patriot Rally,” which was scheduled for Nov. 17.
“Leaders, please exercise caution if downtown this weekend,” the text message said. It then went on to inform airmen “to be cautious” and “to be careful” as rally-goers “could be confrontational to military members.”
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The text then specifically said the warning was based on the possible appearance of a guest speaker from the conservative group Turning Point Action, which the Minot AFB leaders labeled an “alt-right” organization.
The message then warned that “participation with groups such as Turning Point Action could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military.”
The message then suggested that a “shooting incident” in Minot the day before the text was sent may be attributable to the rally.
The speaker that Minot AFB commanders found so troubling was Turning Point Action Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer.
In response to the text message, an unidentified spokesperson for Turning Point told Fox News that the warning was “absolutely appalling” and indicative of why the military was missing its recruiting goals.
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“Tyler Bowyer was simply a keynote speaker. Secondly, Turning Point Action is not alt-right, it’s a mainstream conservative organization and Tyler Bowyer is not some fringe personality—he’s the COO of TPAction, an RNC committeeman from the state of Arizona, and one of the most accomplished political organizers in the country,” the spokesperson told Fox News. “Lastly, Mr. Bowyer and attendees of this event are not ‘confrontational to military members,’ they’re some of the US Military’s most ardent supporters.”
When asked about attendance jeopardizing service members’ careers, the spokesperson said that was “shocking and totally unacceptable.”
“How dare they dissuade servicemen and women from affiliating with conservative groups and leaders,” the spokesperson continued.
“This should set off alarm bells throughout North Dakota and DC, that something is terribly wrong at the Minot Air Force base. This also warrants an immediate congressional hearing and investigation, and whoever is responsible should be held accountable. It’s exactly this type of poison that has caused the Air Force to miss its recruiting goal for the first time in decades.”
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