According to a recently obtained letter, New York State Attorney General Letitia James allegedly threatened a church that hosted a Donald Trump-friendly event earlier this month.
The letter, obtained by Legal Insurrection, was sent to the Cornerstone Church in Batvia, New York, which was scheduled to host the Reawaken America Tour and feature the likes of Eric Trump and General Michael Flynn.
In the letter, James said that her office was going to monitor the event, saying it would act if any laws or civil rights were broken.
The letter itself was addressed to General Flynn and the event organizer Clay Clark on Aug. 3, 2022, and starts by saying that James is "New York's top law enforcement officer" and has "significant concerns that the ReAwaken American Tour…could spur extremist or racially motivated violence."
The letter goes on to say that the concerns center around the dates of the event that coincided with "the five-year anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and past extremist statements made by yourselves and the other featured speakers on the tour."
"I am especially concerned about featured speakers' regular allusions to white nationalist ideals connected to the 'Great Replacement Theory,' a conspiracy theory that warns of white genocide and efforts to replace native born immigrants," James said in the letter. "The theory is frequently linked to violent actions, including the racially motivated mass shooting that killed 10 people at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo."
The letter went on to state that James' office was able to investigate the gathering if it broke any New York law prohibiting "racially motivated violence, harassment, or interference with another person in the exercise of their civil rights."
The letter ended with James writing that it is his her office's job to protect New Yorkers from extremist and racially motivated violence and that they "stand ready" to investigate any violation of the laws mentioned in the letter if necessary.
The pastor of the church, Paul Doyle, shared in an interview with the Associated Press that there was no reason to suggest any racism or violence would take place at his church.
"I take exception to the words she uses, like extreme views," Doyle said. "What's that mean? What's extreme? We're conservative Christians. Now we're extreme?"
Doyle continued saying that members of his congregation, which he described as multi-racial, were scared because of the letter. He also said he felt as though she was attempting to "intimidate" him.
"Harassment from our own government," Doyle said. "I feel harassed. I am a law-abiding — I'm a businessman. I'm law-abiding, I'm God-fearing, and I'm hosting an event."
The event drew close to 3,500 people and went off without any incident.
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