Paul Gosar Claims Kari Lake Could Sic Military on Tribal Land

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) claims Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake could sic the National Guard on a Native American reservation in the state if elected governor. The bizarre claim was made in an obscure Oct. 28 interview flagged by The Informant on Tuesday, in which Gosar appeared to frame such a move as a heroic way to crack down on immigration issues. Claiming that “a lot of drugs and human smuggling goes through” the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Arizona Republican said “what if” Lake wins as governor and sends the National Guard to the border where they would “outline the Tohono O’odham Nation.” He went on to say a military blockade could effectively be set up and “we say no one passes” to send the message to “Tohono O'odham, you’re either America and Arizona first. Or you’re Mexico first.” Asked by the host of “In The Trenches with Teddy Daniels” if he believed Lake was “ballsy enough” to make such a drastic move, Gosar said “she is.” It was not clear where Gosar came up with the idea or if it was based on information he obtained as a campaign surrogate for Lake. Lake’s campaign has not responded to requests for comment. Gosar has a long track record of inflammatory comments, having been censured by Congress last year for posting a violent anime video targeting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).