Dylann Storm Roof was influenced by The white nationalist group, ‘The Council of Conservative Citizens’ which not only boasts Republican Politicians as members, but President Earl Holt lll has contributed to Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Rand Paul.
The Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization with white supremacist leanings, has issued a statement defending the “legitimate grievances” expressed by Charleston shooting suspect Dylann Roof. Roof made reference to the council in his manifesto, saying he used its site to learn about “black on White crime.”
In the statement, the council condemns “Roof’s murderous actions” but goes on to warn that “our society’s silence about [such] crimes—despite enormous amounts of attention to ‘racially tinged’ acts by whites—only increase the anger of people like Dylann Roof. This double standard *only makes acts of murderous frustration more likely* [emphasis by the council]. In his manifesto, Roof outlines other grievances felt by many whites. Again, we utterly condemn Roof’s despicable killings, but they do not detract in the slightest from the legitimacy of some of the positions he has expressed.”
The council’s site also has a statement from the organization’s president, Earl Holt III, saying, “The CofCC is hardly responsible for the actions of this deranged individual merely because he gleaned accurate information from our website.” The Guardian reported Sunday that in recent years Holt has given to a number of GOP politicians, including Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Rand Paul. A spokesperson from Cruz’s presidential campaign told the Guardian that the campaign plans to return the money.
Update: Joni Ernst, Scott Walker, Greg Abbot, Steve King, Tom Cotton and Louie Gohmert are also among those receiving contributions from Earl Holt lll.
More on Mother Jones.