GOP lawmaker held fundraiser with official from ‘domestic terrorist’ group: report

Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), who chairs a powerful committee overseeing Wall Street, recently headlined an event organized by an official for a group his state considers a “domestic terrorist threat.”

Bloomberg Businessweek reported on Thursday that Garrett, who’s facing the toughest reelection fight of his House career, was featured at an Oct. 1 breakfast organized by Edward Durfee, the regional coordinator for New Jersey Oath Keepers.

New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness lists the Oath Keepers group among “militia extremists” that “pose a moderate threat to New Jersey because of fundraising and recruitment efforts in the state, involvement in protests and standoffs across the United States, and their ability to coordinate and organize on a national scale.”

{mosads}Durfee co-founded the American Bedrock Foundation, which he explained to Bloomberg Businessweek serves as the fundraising arm for the Oath Keepers. The foundation co-sponsored and collected funds for the breakfast attended by Garrett. 

Garrett’s campaign manager, Sarah Neibart, said in a statement to Bloomberg Businessweek that “Congressman Garrett has no affiliation — personal or political — with any of the organizations mentioned. Any suggestion otherwise is absurd.”

Garrett is a founding member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus and one of the most conservative members of the House GOP conference.

He’s also the chairman of an influential subcommittee of the House Financial Services panel that oversees U.S. capital markets. 

His reelection race against Democrat Josh Gottheimer is competitive this year because of remarks Garrett made last year about gay candidates during a closed-door meeting with members of the House Financial Services Committee.

Politico reported that Garrett informed colleagues he wasn’t paying dues to the House GOP campaign arm because of its recruitment and support of gay candidates. 

Donations from some Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase subsequently dried up after the damaging report. 

Gottheimer, a former speechwriter in the Clinton White House, has vastly outpaced Garrett in fundraising. The incumbent has only raised $1.4 million, compared to Gottheimer’s $2.9 million, according to the most recent reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Making Garrett’s reelection bid more difficult is the fact that New Jersey is not Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump country, and redistricting has made the suburban seat slightly less favored to Republicans.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report upgraded Garrett’s district this week to a “toss up” from a previous rating of “Lean Republican.”

Garrett will need conservatives to turn up at the polls on Election Day in order to survive any potential down-ballot losses from Trump.

“What I need from you is your blood, sweat and tears,” he told the audience, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. “We need the grass roots to come on out.”