SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — The chair of the Hawaiian Republican Party is urging his fellow GOP members to disavow the candidacy of Angela Kaaihue, the party’s nominee for the 2nd Congressional District, which represents the neighboring islands and rural Oahu.
“I want it understood by the general public and the media that the recent inflammatory comments made by candidate for Congress Angela Kaaihue do not represent the views, values, or the sentiments of our Party and its members,” Fritz Rohlfing said in a statement issued late Friday. “Her vulgar, racially-bigoted, and religiously-intolerant descriptions of Democratic Party candidates are offensive, shameful, and unacceptable in public discourse.”
“I unconditionally denounce her despicable statements,” he added.
On Tuesday, Kaaihue’s campaign issued a press release which directly attacked the character of Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who is currently seeking re-election. It directed the same sentiment towards former Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa.
Kaaihue referred to Hawaii as a “Devil Democratic State,” adding that the island is condemned by a “local dumb mentality.” She added, in the release, that if “my neighbor Gov. Ige and his Japanese constituents” would settle a land dispute she said she’s involved with, she would drop out of the race.
“Then Hawaii, YOU can have YOUR so-called ‘perfect’ pathetic Hindu 1000 GODS leader along with YOUR pathetic ‘career politician’ Buddhist Hanabusa, and your pathetic American Traitor, And my family and I will go our merrily way,” Kaaihue said. She also ridiculed Gabbard’s “moon-crater cheeks.”
Gabbard is a Hindu American, Hanabusa is Buddhist and Ige is Japanese-American. Kaaihue is a Christian running on a platform based on instilling religion in government.
Nationally, Kaaihue has gone on record as a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who himself has come under fire for comments he made regarding the banishment of Muslims from entering the country. Kaaihue criticized the aforementioned chair Rohlfing for his leadership of a “disenfranchised party,” and suggested she herself was slammed because of her religion views.
“I am talking about God, preaching about God, restoring his kingdom back into Hawaii,” she said. “This is God’s country, America is God’s country. I am trying to educate people about that.”
Rohlfing’s denouncement of her candidacy, she suggested, demonstrated “how we are being deceived by Satan, the biggest liar and deceiver.” She added that Rohlfing should be mindful about his comments regarding her and her campaign, for she is the “messenger of God.”
“‘Angela’ means messenger of God,” she said. “My whole family is Christian.”
On Kaaihue’s campaign website and Facebook page, Gabbard, Hanabusa and Kirk Caldwell (the Honolulu mayor she considered running against) are described as non-Christians who “worship the Devil.”
Kaaihue carries a years-long arrest record, including arrests for family abuse in 2005, and a history of violating restraining orders, some of which were filed against her by police officers — in 2013, she was found guilty of harassing Honolulu police officer Gary Montalbo. She was given six months probation and ordered to seek mental health treatment, stay away from Montalbo, remove blogs on social media and quit making false accusations.
