Gen. Boykin Statement on False Claims Against Missouri AG Candidate Josh Hawley

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lt. General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, Executive Vice President of Family Research Council Action PAC, today defended Josh Hawley, a candidate for Missouri Attorney General, who has been the subject of false claims made by opponent Senator Kurt Schaefer.

Gen. Boykin released the following statement refuting Schaefer's claims:

"It is very disappointing to see Senator Kurt Schaefer question the patriotism of Josh Hawley, who I know to be a constitutional conservative who loves his country. As a former commander of the Army's Delta Force as well as the Green Berets, I have spent many years fighting to keep our country safe from our enemies and I know that these claims of Senator Schaefer are not true.

"First he falsely claimed that Josh represented a Muslim prisoner who wanted to grow a beard. That ad was declared false by former Missouri Senator John Danforth, and Springfield television station KY3.

"Now Schaefer is claiming that Josh represented terrorists because he argued that the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, known as the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, should not be listed as a terrorist organization.

"Hawley was joined in that effort by prominent Missourians, including Senator Roy Blunt, former Senators Kit Bond and John Ashcroft, Congressmen Lacy Clay and Cleaver, and countless national security and military leaders. I supported that effort, as did former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, former Ambassador John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Wesley Clark, and General Hugh Shelton who served as Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff.

"Are Roy Blunt, John Ashcroft, and Kit Bond terrorist sympathizers? Hardly. They joined with Hawley because the MEK was providing our nation with valuable support and intelligence in the global war against radical Islam and has always opposed the Iranian Mullahs and their repressive government. In other words, these are not just lies about Hawley, these are lies about an American ally and about patriotic leaders who stood with that ally in a time of war.

"I believe this misinformation by Kurt Schaefer is the kind of thing that the American people are tired of. They want leaders who will be up front with them and share the truth, not twist the facts.

"I am confident that the people of Missouri will recognize that Josh Hawley is a great American and a patriot and I hope that Kurt Schaefer will focus on the substantive issues facing our nation," Boykin concluded.

SOURCE Family Research Council Action