Trump selects white nationalist as California delegate

A white nationalist was selected as a delegate for Donald Trump in California, Mother Jones reported on Tuesday.

{mosads}William Johnson, a leader of the American Freedom Party was announced as a delegate for Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee on Monday night. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called Johnson  “an uninspiring but determined white separatist.” 

“I just hope to show how I can be mainstream and have these views,” Johnson told Mother Jones. “I can be a white nationalist and be a strong supporter of Donald Trump and be a good example to everybody.”

It’s not the first time Johnson has gained attention during the Trump campaign. In February, Trump vowed to return a $250 donation the white nationalist made to the campaign. Johnson was also featured in robocalls imploring Iowa voters to back the real estate mogul.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told The Hill that the Mother Jones report “is totally false.” 

When pressed, she said Johnson was selected as a delegate from an outdated list.

“Yesterday the Trump campaign submitted its list of California delegates to be certified by the Secretary of State of California,” Hicks wrote in an email. 

“A database error led to the inclusion of a potential delegate that had been rejected and removed from the campaign’s list in February 2016.”

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) quickly responded to the report by slamming the GOP presumptive nominee for his “racist, xenophobic candidacy.”