WHITE NATIONALIST BEGINNINGS
Miller has expressed white nationalist views throughout his life -- even writing an op-ed in his hometown paper that, had indigenous groups been treated better, “we could have lived with the Indians, learning how to finger paint and make tepees, excusing their scalping of frontiersmen as part of their culture.” (The Lookout, 3/7/02)
During his time at Duke University, Miller worked closely with avowed white nationalist Richard Spencer. Their relationship is well documented, with Spencer even going so far as to call himself a “mentor” to Miller. (Mother Jones, 12/14/16)
WORK WITH JEFF SESSIONS
Jeff Sessions was always an immigration hard-liner, and he found a partner in Miller when they were introduced by Michele Bachmann in 2009.
As reported by the New York Times, “Mr. Sessions came to believe that immigrants, whether here legally or illegally, posed a direct threat to the country by depressing wages, committing crimes and competing for welfare benefits.”
Together, they put forth bills endorsed by different extreme policy organizations — “some of which are derided as hate groups by immigration activists and civil rights organizations.” (New York Times, 6/18/18)
It was also during this time that Miller started using his Senate email address to pitch stories and influence editorial policy at Breitbart -- a far-right publication led by Steve Bannon. His influence went far beyond the norm -- while it is not uncommon for Senate communications staff to pitch stories, he used his work email to shape the overall mission of a fringe publication. (Hatewatch, 11/12/2019)
More than 900 emails he wrote to Breitbart reporters were recently leaked, and the contents are shocking.
More on this later, but Miller repeatedly asked reporters to use sources such as American Renaissance, a favorite of white nationalists. (Hatewatch, 11/12/19)
He repeatedly recommended Breitbart employees read The Camp of Saints, which is known as a sort of bible for the white supremacist movement. If you want to look up the book, be warned -- it’s really horrible, racist stuff, with countless lines defending racism and segregation, even referring to the Apartheid South African government as “that limitless scapegoat, that convenient target for the self-righteous conscience” (Observer, 5/2/18)
In one reference to the book, Miller and Katie McHugh, a former reporter he helped train, discussed their belief that minority students were less intelligent than white ones, and had lowered average SAT scores across the board. (Hatewatch, 11/12/19)
This conversation is an example of Miller’s influence on editorial policy -- soon after, Breitbart took the headline and ran with it.
In scores of emails, Miller promoted far-right and alt-right conspiracy theories, and spread disinformation from discredited right-wing publications. He appeared obsessed with spreading debunked theories about the crime rate among immigrants and minorities. (Hatewatch, 11/25/19)
Miller shared stories by Jason Richwine, who wrote his dissertation on the racist and debunked idea that Hispanic children have lower IQs, sending links to McHugh to give her ideas about what to write and publish.
SHAPING WHITE HOUSE POLICY
When Jeff Sessions joined the Trump administration, he brought Stephen Miller with him. Together, the two put their old ideas to work and found more success than they had before.
With the power of executive orders at their disposal, Miller and Sessions, along with Steve Bannon, were able to create policy and completely skirt the legislative process, leaving them nearly unchecked and sending the immigration system into a continuing state of confusion. (Politico, 6/26/18)
By leaving out elected Representatives and Senators, Miller and Sessions (at least until he was fired) were able to go unchecked in the federal government. They could push federal policy to the extremes without any pushback from the people elected to represent Americans across the country.
Miller’s influence continues to grow. While Sessions is no longer in the government, their time together continues to shape the country.
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