Republican Representative Scott Garrett of New Jersey, a seven-term incumbent locked in a close re-election race, headlined an Oct. 1 breakfast organized by an official for an antigovernment group that New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness considers a “domestic terrorist threat.” At the breakfast, Garrett hailed the official, Edward Durfee, as an “unsung hero.” Durfee is regional coordinator for New Jersey Oath Keepers, a group state officials list as “militia extremists [who] pose a moderate threat to New Jersey.” Durfee also co-founded the American Bedrock Foundation, which co-sponsored and collected payments for the Garrett breakfast. “The American Bedrock Foundation is basically the fundraising arm for the Oath Keepers and other pro-Constitution groups,” Durfee said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “That’s what our purpose is.”
Garrett didn’t respond to interview requests. In a statement, his campaign manager, Sarah Neibart, said, “Congressman Garrett has no affiliation—personal or political—with any of the organizations mentioned. Any suggestion otherwise is absurd.”
