Suzanne Scholte for Congress

Incumbent Congressman Supports Sending Taxpayer Money to a Known Terrorist Group        

Springfield, VA – Congressman Gerry Connolly’s recent speech (full audio here) to a group of Arab-Americans has come under fire as audio surfaced of Connolly speaking in defense of sending United States tax dollars to known terrorists.

“When there are voices calling for the defunding of the Palestinian Authority, I oppose them, publically,” Connolly said, later referring to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as just “Palestine.” Calls came to defund the PA after Hamas—designated a “terrorist group” by the United States and much of the Western world—officially joined the PA’s unity government. With the United States still sending funding to the PA, our government is now directly funding a terrorist group and their attacks on Israel.

At this same speech, Connolly called a large group of Virginians “bigots” for having concerns over potential terror activity in Northern Virginia. Connolly also spoke in defense of deposed Egypt dictator Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, saying, “I was the only member of the Foreign Affairs Committee who spoke out against the Egyptian military after the coup, because they overthrew a democratically elected government, whether we like it or not.”

Connolly was the only member of the Foreign Affairs Committee who opposed Morsi’s removal—despite Morsi granting himself unlimited powers, persecuting Coptic Christians, censoring and prosecuting the media, and attacking nonviolent protestors.

Suzanne Scholte, the Republican candidate facing Connolly in Virginia’s 11^th district, said, “There’s a reason Gerry Connolly was the lone supporter of Morsi on the Foreign Affairs Committee—it’s because his views are even more extreme than the most liberal members of his own Party.”

“Defending and tolerating Morsi’s actions shows how radical Connolly has become on foreign policy. America needs to defend those persecuted in Egypt, not support the persecutors.”

“We also need to destroy terrorists, not fund them. Sending money to Hamas is reckless and hurts Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East—while destabilizing the entire region by legitimizing a terrorist group with U.S. dollars,” Scholte continued.

Scholte also highlighted Connolly’s support of the weakening of the United States Military, adding, “After these statements, no one should be surprised Gerry Connolly voted for the defense cuts in the sequester bill. His extreme stances do not take foreign threats seriously and are jeopardizing our national security.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scholte: Obama is “Cleaning Up His Own Mess”

Congress’ War Authorization Must Reverse Sequestration

Suzanne Scholte, a globally recognized human rights advocate and candidate for Congress in Northern Virginia’s 11^th district, released this statement in response to President Obama’s speech laying out his plan to attack the Islamic State:

President Obama’s precipitous and reckless withdrawal from Iraq allowed for the rise of the Islamic State. The President’s singular focus to cut the military and disengage from world leadership lead to last night’s speech—where President Obama has now been forced to clean up his own mess.

Our military will strike the Islamic State, but it will also be in a weaker position to do so because of the President’s sequestration bill supported by Gerry Connolly. The hacksaw sequester cuts have left our military weaker than it has been in decades, weaker for the fight the President has now called them to take on.

The threat the Islamic State is a perfect example of why we must reverse sequestration, and when Congress votes to authorize funding for this mission, I call on both parties to reverse the disastrous sequestration cuts.

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Suzanne Scholte made the following remarks regarding Labor Day:

"This Labor Day, we celebrate America's workforce, which continues to be among the world leaders in productivity and innovation. Regardless the difficulties we face under this tepid economy, America's workers are the one bright spot that we can count on.

"This Labor Day, our challenge is that many Americans have no labor because they cannot find work. Gerry Connolly's vote for the sequester has slowed Northern Virginia's economy to a halt--workers' incomes are not growing and many contractors cannot find decent jobs. 

"On this day when we honor those who work, we must rededicate our efforts to create jobs and improve the economy for working families and for those seeking work. We need a new, proven leader in Congress to fight for Northern Virginia's workers to ensure a sequester never happens again. 

"It's my hope that we will soon have a Congress that respects and embraces the creativity and dedication of the Northern Virginia's workforce, unleashing our region's potential and creating more opportunities for all."

Scholte: “Unlike Cuba, we live in a system with checks and balances”

17 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have penned a letter to President Obama asking him to reaffirm his commitment to maintaining the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

The timing cannot be a coincidence.

In January, the President already began to roll back the policy, allowing for “(1) purposeful travel; (2) non-family remittances; and (3) U.S. airports supporting licensed charter flights to and from Cuba.”

These members of Congress believe the President might be about to take another step toward legitimizing the Castro regime.

Suzanne Scholte, human rights advocate and Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 11^th district, released the following statement:

I congratulate Gerry Connolly on signing this letter and taking a bipartisan step that I would have also taken as a member of Congress. There are issues greater than our campaign. This is one of them.

The difference between Gerry Connolly and me is that I would have been standing against abusive executive action for the last five years, not just for this issue. The President has already signed dozens of executive orders that many constitutional law professors—even those who usually agree with him—have deemed illegal.

If he uses an executive order to normalize relations with Cuba, he will be legitimizing one of the most corrupt regimes in history. Their egregious human rights record cannot be ignored, and a change in policy would only validate their awful actions.

Because the President’s Party and Gerry Connolly have been unwilling to stand up against the President’s expansive executive orders, they have enabled the President to act alone on Cuba.

Unlike Cuba, we live in a system with checks and balances on our elected leaders, and our President needs to not only affirm his support for Cuban freedom, he needs to reaffirm his support for the Constitution. 

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Scholte Condemns Remarks, Calls on Connolly to Condemn as Well

Springfield, VA - Republican congressional candidate Suzanne Scholte (VA-11) issued a statement today condemning John Foust for saying Delegate Barbara Comstock has never "had a real job."

Scholte also called for her opponent, Gerry Connolly, who has made Foust’s election a top priority for Democrats, to condemn the remark. 

Scholte's statement:

Any woman who has been a mother, any woman who has served as a federal worker, and any woman who has been a leader in the private sector has had a 'real job.' 

Barbara has done all three, and John Foust--as well as Gerry Connolly and other Virginia Democrat leaders--need to apologize and disavow this incredibly offensive remark. 

Do Northern Virginia Democrats really want to stand behind this statement that federal workers don't have "real job[s]"? 

Gerry Connolly voted for the sequester and has belittled federal workers during a Congressional hearing on the IRS investigation --making it clear he doesn't value federal workers either. Northern Virginians deserve better and I hope they will vote for both Barbara and me as we will be better representatives for the thousands of federal employees in Northern Virginia. 

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