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Interior Secretary spokeswoman once said ‘a devout Muslim’ could never be president: report

by Justin Wise - 07/25/18 3:13 PM ET

A top spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke once argued in a blog that “a devout Muslim” could never serve as U.S. president because of their religious beliefs, HuffPost reported on Wednesday.

Faith Vander Voort argued that “a devout Muslim” could not serve as president because their religion “prohibits them for taking an oath to anything other than Allah,” according to HuffPost.

The post was titled “Did I offend you?” and was published on her personal website in October 2015 while she worked as press intern for Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), the news site said. It was erased sometime between October 2016 and January 2017, though it can still be viewed on a digital archive of web pages known as Internet Archive, HuffPost added.

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“A devout Muslim could never serve in the Oval Office of the United States of America, not because of exclusion or discrimination, but because their own religion strictly prohibits them from taking an oath to anything other than Allah,” Vander Voort wrote in her post.

She added that any Muslim president would “either be a shoddy and inconsistent Muslim or subject to impeachment the moment they took office because Shariah Law and the United States Constitution are not compatible.”

The post was written in defense of then-Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson for saying that he would not “advocate” for putting a Muslim in charge of the country.

Vander Voort did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Hill. The Interior Department also did not provide immediate comment.

In addition to her remarks on a Muslim being president, Vander Voort made other controversial statements in separate blog posts, according to HuffPost. In April 2017, she praised President Trump while making inaccurate claims against former President Barack Obama.

“We watched a president call Trayvon Martin his son and defend radical Islamic terrorists for shooting up night clubs and schools,” she wrote, referring to the Florida black teenager killed in 2012.

HuffPost also said Vander Voort called Obama “a president who would consistently shame, blame and berate his own people.”

Tags Barack Obama Ben Carson Donald Trump Ryan Zinke Steve King