Pro-Trump congressional candidate says country club canceled fundraiser over her 'political views

A Republican congressional candidate who's a self-described "adamant supporter" of President Donald Trump said a country club canceled her fundraiser due to her "political views."

Lena Epstein — who's running for the Michigan's 11th congressional district which will be open after GOP Rep. Dave Trott's retirement— said in a statement that the board of directors of Franklin Hills Country Club nixed the event scheduled for Wednesday after it had been planned for over a month.

Epstein also said her family has been members of the club "for generations" and that she had been "fully compliant with Franklin Hills rules" in connection with the fundraiser.

"That’s why it was so unsettling to hear by those who cancelled the event, the decision was made because they disagreed with my political views," Epstein's statement continued. "I have no qualms in admitting I was an adamant supporter of Donald Trump in 2016. I did everything I could to help elect him, and give him the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., to drain the swamp and implement his America First policies.

"Today, I still strongly support our President, and couldn’t be more proud that he is keeping his campaign promises. Although I’ve never been bashful about my support of President Trump, I have never shamed others for disagreeing with me."

A double standard?

Epstein also said that one month ago the club hosted a fundraiser for Suneel Gupta — the Democrat also running for the 11th congressional district seat. He's the brother of CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, she added.

"It’s deeply disappointing Republicans are being held to a separate set of standards," Epstein noted in her statement.

Wasn't going to 'make the issue public'

Epstein said in her statement she initially was "upset" over the cancellation but didn't intend to "make the issue public." However, things "escalated" when the cancellation was published on social media and then picked up by a news outlet, she added.

"After seeing what’s been happening across the country to Republicans like Sarah Sanders and Pam Bondi, I wanted the opportunity to share what happened to me," Epstein said.

More from her statement:

I’m an adult, and a strong enough person to deal with things not always going my way. But this isn’t just about one fundraiser being cancelled. It represents a much bigger issue we’re now facing as a nation. The double standards, and unfair targeting of Sarah Sanders, Pam Bondi, and now myself should not be tolerated. Nor should the hateful rhetoric of Maxine Waters. We need to learn how to have civil discussions, and be cordial with those we don’t always agree with. On the campaign trail, I don’t always see eye to eye with everyone I meet. But at the end of the day we can still be kind to one another.

The Franklin Hills manager and board president did not return calls, the Detroit News reported.

Epstein co-chaired Trump's campaign in Michigan in 2016, the paper added.

More from the News:

The apparent cancellation of the Epstein fundraiser came a week after a Facebook post by Michael Simon, the son of a former president of the club, who expressed concerns about Epstein's support for Trump's border and immigration policies.

“Franklin Hills was founded in 1927 because Jews were not permitted to be members elsewhere,” Simon wrote in the since-deleted post.

“My deep connection to this place is why I’m so heartbroken to see FHCC’s leaders affiliate themselves with the racist campaign being run by Lena Epstein to tear children from the arms of their parents.”

Simon called on Franklin Hills members and the wider Jewish community to disassociate themselves from Epstein.

Simon noted in a June 21 update that the Franklin Hills board asked Epstein to voluntarily relocate the event and "not bring her brand of toxic xenophobia" to the clubhouse — but she hadn't changed the venue location, the paper said.

He also declared that Epstein "decided it is more important to host the divisive event than to respect the core values of her faith and the legacy of a club founded by people fleeing anti-Semitism," the News reported.



(H/T: The American Mirror)