
A speechwriter at the Department of Homeland Security has been linked to hateful posts on social media, reportedly claiming that American conservatives are ostracized like the Jews were in Nazi Germany.
A blog post reportedly authored by Eric Lendrum celebrated the January 6 insurrection and compared the following fallout for conservatives to the Holocaust and slavery, Notus reported.
âAmerican conservatives are, right now, on a course for being every bit as ostracized and alienated from broader society as Jews were in the years leading up to Nazi Germany,â he claimed in a 2021 blog post on American Greatness, a rightwing opinion and news site. Lendrum posted on the site until March of this year.
His podcast, The Right Take, is listed in the authorâs description on the site. On one episode of the podcast, he said he liked watching videos of scared legislators during the Jan 6 insurrection.
âThereâs something so gratifying about seeing the images of these members of Congress â especially the Democrats â crouching under their chairs, putting on those stupid, like, bubble masks, those anti-gas bubble masks, and then taking selfies,â a laughing Lendrum said just days after the Capitol riot.
In another episode, published in October 2022, Lendrum said immigrants put Europe at risk, while also backing the âgreat replacement theory.â The far-right theory claims that nonwhite immigrants are damaging the influence of white people.
âGiven the direction of Europe right now, we could use a far-right government at this point,â said Lendrum.
On X, the account @realEricLendrum has argued for the removal of transgender âideologyâ and compared asylum seekers to âscum.â
In another podcast episode, Lendrum referenced his brief period as a press assistant at the Interior Department during the first Trump administration, saying that he would only return to government if he could be closer to the president.
âIf I could work more closely with him, that is the one case in which I would ever go back into government work,â said Lendrum, whose online profile was first report by Notus. âGovernment work is not fun.â
The Independent has attempted to reach Lendrum for comment.
The DHS Office of Public Affairs states that a speechwriter at the department is responsible for preparing âspeeches, talking points, editorials, Congressional testimony, video scripts, web content, and other written content for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.â The department ranks as the largest federal law enforcement agency.
In one of the blog posts linked to Lendrum, he appeared to argue that conservatives were facing political oppression similar to that of slaves and victims of the Holocaust.
âIt has been said that the most surefire way to create an authoritarian regime is to completely dehumanize a significant portion of the population, so that their subsequent enslavement by the state will not face any larger resistance. It was true during slavery, it was true during the Holocaust, and it is true now,â the blog post stated.
Responding to questions from Notus, DHS shared a link to the text of the First Amendment.
The Independent has contacted DHS for comment.
The X account linked to Lendrum argued that the U.S. should treat immigrants as an âinvading army.â
âThey are not migrants. They are not âundocumented.â They are an invading army. The largest invasion in American history,â one post stated in May 2023. âAnd what are you supposed to do with an invading army? Crush it, by any means necessary. Thatâs the #AmericaFirst way.â
Also in the blog post about January 6, the author said, âThe Democrats were absolutely terrified â literally cowering under their seats, horrified at the prospect of mere peasants walking through the halls of their castle.â
The lawmakers, including Republicans, were escorted by Capitol Police through the Capitol complex.
âThe truth is that they are grateful the events of that day unfolded as they did,â the post argued regarding the Democrats.
In a podcast episode published in April 2023, he said he would âalways properly deadname t***** freaks.â
âI will keep calling them t******* because I know itâs derogatory, and I know they freakinâ hate it. Thatâs why I deadname them. Thatâs why I use their original pronouns,â he said. âYou control the language. Donât give these freaks an inch on the language.â
âWe need to eradicate transgenderism. Wipe it off the face of the Earth. Destroy it. Get rid of it,â he added. âAs a disclaimer, Iâm not saying to wipe the people out. Iâm not saying get rid of the people. Iâm saying eliminate the ideology. Cure these people.â