GOP lawmaker apologizes for ‘religious freedom’ tweet
A Republican lawmaker apologized Tuesday for a “religious freedom” tweet he posted earlier that day after receiving backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) asked Lizzie Marbach, director of communications at Ohio Right to Life, to delete one of her posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said there is “no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.”
“This is one of the most bigoted tweets I have ever seen. Delete it, Lizzie. Religious freedom in the United States applies to every religion. You have gone too far,” he posted on X.
Just hours after that post, Miller apologized for the tweet.
“I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend,” he said in a post. “I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it. I sincerely apologize to Lizzie and to everyone who read my post.”
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Miller’s rebuke of Marbach prompted quick criticism from conservative circles, who blasted the Ohio congressman for calling the tweet “bigoted.” Podcast host Matt Walsh, a columnist for The Daily Wire, questioned why the congressman would ask Marbach to delete her tweet.
“As a GOP congressman from Ohio why in the world would you think it a good idea to condemn someone as bigoted for professing their Christian faith and demand that they delete it?” Walsh tweeted in response to Miller’s tweet.
Christina Pushaw, who serves as the rapid response director for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) presidential campaign, said it was “wrong” for Miller to ask someone to delete their post.
“Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs, it’s just fundamentally wrong for a member of congress to order a citizen to delete a tweet. This isn’t a dictatorship,” she tweeted.
David Carlson, the political director of The Bull Moose Project, also weighed in on the controversy, asking “With Conservatives like this, who needs liberals?” in a post on X.
Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) also rebuked Miller’s tweet, saying that the freedom of religion in the U.S. protects Marbach’s statement.
“No! Stating the core beliefs or principles of your faith isn’t bigoted as Lizzie did, its religious freedom and no one should be scolded for that,” she tweeted. “It’s also wrong to speak about religious freedom while simultaneously harassing people who freely express their beliefs.”
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