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American Samoa GOP blasts Dems for excluding Gabbard from debate
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa—The Republican Party of American Samoa is demanding that Democrat National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz apologize to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) for calling for more Democrat primary debates.
Although she represents Hawaii, Gabbard is a native-born Samoan who American Samoans count as one of their own. American Samoans are proud of her political achievements and her military service to our country. She is the most prominent Samoan and highest ranking Democrat officeholder and party official in the country.
The Republican Party of American Samoa sincerely hopes that anti-Samoan discrimination has played no role in the decision to uninvite Gabbard to the debate. The current stage of Democrat candidates lacks the diversity and credibility represented by the Republican candidates.
Unlike the Democrats, the Republican National Committee seated Delegate Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), the most prominent and highest ranking Samoan Republican officeholder in the country and the most senior member of the RNC in the front section, fitting her role in the Party.
The Republican Party of American Samoa has no doubt that if this incident had occurred in Cleveland, especially if there were not diversity among our presidential candidates, the Democrats and the media would be raising questions of racism. As the party that claims to embrace civil rights, the DNC should be ashamed of itself. This situation is very disheartening and hypocritical. The Republican Party of American Samoa stands with Gabbard, who expressed her opinions on calling for more sanctioned debates. To shut her out of the Las Vegas debate was disgraceful. The Republican Party of American Samoa plans on inviting Gabbard to the next Republican primary debate, where she will be seated prominently. (RPAS)
