Ex-Congressman: It's a smear to say every Russian Orthodox Christian is a spy

Matt Gaetz. Photo: Leon Neal

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz harshly criticized Congressman Wilson's statement, who claimed that Orthodox bishops in the USA advocating for the UOC "could serve as vehicles for intelligence collection or foreign influence operations directed at U.S. policymakers".

"It seems like a rather bigoted smear to say that every Russian Orthodox Christian is a spy," wrote Gaetz.

His statement appeared in the context of a series of sharp publications by American politicians who were outraged by Wilson's words.

Recall that Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna emphasized that Wilson's priority is to ensure that American taxpayers' dollars should not be going  towards the persecution of Christians.

South Carolina State Representative Thomas Beach responded to Gaetz's message, writing: "One of the largest OCA parishes in America is located in Greenville, South Carolina. Americans live there, most of whom are converts. Calls to investigate the activities of these good Christians? That's purely Soviet stuff."

Earlier, he stated that Wilson's words are "really ugly smear of Orthodox Christians as agents of a foreign power. This is beneath the office." 

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