Republican congressional candidate Carl Paladino said on a radio show last week that US Attorney General Merrick Garland “probably should be executed” following the raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.
Some say Langworthy’s stranglehold on both jobs presents an inherent conflict that neglects them both — especially his statewide responsibilities as president.
“…an administration with people like Garland, who shouldn’t just be impeached, he should probably be executed,” Paladino told Breitbart Radio host Matthew Boyle. “The guy is just lost. He’s a lost soul. He’s trying to get a picture, and his methodology is just terrible. Raiding a former president’s house is just… people scratching their heads and they say, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ ”
The statement came about seven and a half minutes into the interview, which can be heard on the SoundCloud clip below.
When Paladino was asked by Boyle about two minutes later to explain what he meant by his runtime comment, Paladino backtracked.
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“I’m just being facetious,” Paladino said. “The man should be removed from his position. He shows his incompetence, he wants to stand out in front of the people and show that he has courage, but his choice of problems and his choice of methodology are very sad.”
Responding to a request for comment Wednesday, Paladino spokesman Vish Burra reiterated that the congressional candidate was joking and that no further statement from Paladino was needed.
“The commentary is clear: Carl doesn’t think Garland should be executed and when you listen to the interview, when asked what he meant, he said he was being facetious,” Burra said.
The exchange came amid heightened concern for the safety of law enforcement officials following federal agents executing a search warrant at Trump’s home in Florida.
The Department of Homeland Security distributed an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies nationwide that warned of “an increase in threats and acts of violence” after the search.
Some GOP officials have expressed anger toward the FBI in particular, which has led to divisions within the party. The New York Times reported that former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday called on Republicans to stop attacking the nation’s top law enforcement agencies over the raid.
Paladino has a history of inflammatory statements, such as his June comment calling Adolf Hitler an “inspiring” leader. Paladino often backtracked on these statements. “I should have used Churchill,” he told The News on June 9.
While originally denying claims that he had shared a Facebook post linking the mass killings in Buffalo and Texas to “false flag” ideas, Paladino admitted a day later that he had shared the content because it was posted by a friend, and he often shared content that he disagrees with.
In a 2016 Artvoice article, Paladino, when he was a Buffalo school board member, called Michelle Obama a man and said he would like her to be “unleashed in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.” At a 2015 rally, he scorned “damn Asians” and other “outsiders” at the University at Buffalo and other state colleges.
Paladino faces Republican state chairman Nick Langworthy in a primary election in the redesigned 23rd congressional district on Tuesday.
Ben Tsujimoto can be reached at btsujimoto@buffnews.com, (716) 849-6927 or on Twitter at @Tsuj10.
