The weatherman for 9News, Marty Coniglio, compared federal law enforcement officers protecting federal property to, you guessed it – Nazis!
Coniglio has since deleted the tweet he posted Thursday.
The photo features Adolf Hitler posing with SA “Brownshirts,” who served as the Nazi Party’s original paramilitary militia. The SA sought to intimidate anyone who would threaten the Nazi Party’s objectives in Germany, often engaging in street brawls and other acts of terrorism against opposing political parties and Jews.
The Colorado GOP and the Republican State Chair Ken Buck responded to Conilgio on Twitter:
Republicans know that the press leans to the left, but are fellow reporters okay with this type of radical hate against law enforcement from employees at local news stations? #copolitics #9News pic.twitter.com/o1X6K9DDdn
— The Colorado GOP (@cologop) July 23, 2020
Comparing the brave men and women of our law enforcement community to Nazis is absolutely reprehensible. pic.twitter.com/48w0TuBxce
— Congressman Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) July 23, 2020
Coniglio’s tweet is hardly the first time members of the Colorado press corps have compared the Trump administration to Nazis. Over the weekend, KRDO’s Digital Director fired off a series of tweets defending ANTIFA and their acts of violence in Portland, which were curiously deleted following our report.
The Aurora Sentinel’s Dave Perry also infamously compared President Trump to Hitler just prior to the 2016 election:
Coniglio’s suggestion that acts of terrorism perpetrated by Nazi Brownshirts are comparable to the lawful actions of federal officers in Portland is offensive, to put it mildly.
Portland has been besieged by anti-police protestors for more than 50 days, with officers being harassed and countless buildings being vandalized. Following inaction by local officials to protect innocent civilians and private property, President Trump dispatched federal officers to Portland two weeks ago to restore order.
This past weekend alone rioters barricaded federal officers inside the federal courthouse and launched fireworks toward the building, while also setting fire to the Portland police union offices.
According to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, “all officers are identified as police law enforcement officers … They are only targeting those who have been identified as committing criminal acts.”
It is unclear whether fellow 9 News reporters like Kyle Clark will speak out and condemn Coniglio, especially after his self-righteous lectures about Pat Neville’s comments this spring.