Fox News contributor Allen West claims followers of the Islamic State are using the “progressive socialist tactic of 'trolls'” to harass members of the military.
In an October 9 post to his website, the former Republican congressman highlighted reporting from Fox News about Islamic State sympathizers harassing military personnel and their families online. According to West, the online supporters “learned” from progressives how to “flood a website or Facebook account with vile and insidious comments.”
He continued, arguing that the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) is using the “exact same tactics” as Media Matters and the progressive website Daily Kos:
It normally begins with some leftist central command, such as Media Matters or Daily Kos, to issue a call of attack -- and the mindless lemmings follow, normally completely devoid of any knowledge or understanding of a topic. It is the leftist progressive tactic of instilling fear, coercion and intimidation. And ISIS is following suit, using the exact same tactics.
As Media Matters explained when a Washington Post piece floated West as the new head of the Secret Service, West has a constantly expanding list of incendiary commentary, including:
- Calling President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder “the most vile and disgusting racists.”
- Claiming “Barack Hussein Obama has an Islamist sympathy ... I don't understand where this president's loyalties lie, and I have to ask the question, whose side is he on?”
- Declining to dispute an audience member who falsely claimed that “Obama is a Muslim.” Instead, West responded that he's “not going to get into that” but the president “has an Eastern orientation, I'll put it that way.”
- Arguing that the “Democrat Party is an anti-Semitic party.”
- Accusing Democrats of being Nazis, communists, and modern-day slaveholders.