You can be sure of this, if Chris Simcox's last name was "Sanchez" and, if Senor Sanchez had been in the United States unlawfully, Russell Pearce never would have let us hear the end of it.
Instead, when Channel 3's Dennis Welch asks him about his old minuteman pal's arrest for alleged molestation of three children under 10, one of whom was Simcox's daughter, the recalled, disgraced ex-state Senate President tells Welch he prays it isn't true.
He suggests the allegations may stem from Simcox's messy divorce, and he adds this doozy, that, "good people do stupid things sometimes."
See Also: Joe Arpaio Supporter, Minuteman Chris Simcox, Charged w/Child Molestation Chris Simcox Child Molestation Allegations: Daughter Listed as Victim
Catch that? "Stupid," not "evil."
Of course, Pearce agrees the alleged crime is horrible, even says he'd go Second Amendment on anyone who did the same to his grandkids.
Pearce also tries to distance himself. He and Simcox only knew each other professionally, working on border issues together, the two-time loser claims.
Had he ever seen anything to suggest Simcox's alleged perversity? Oh, no, never. Just like he supposedly had no idea that neo-Nazi baby-killer J.T. Ready was a black-hearted, right-wing extremist.
But as with Pearce's other nefarious associations, these excuses do not wash. Simcox and Pearce's alliance stretches all the way back to the days of the Minuteman Project. As Simcox's star rose, so did Pearce's, and they helped each other politically.
Simcox donated money to Pearce, appeared at Pearce fundraisers. They stumped at the same events, often supported the same candidates. Pearce even is listed as a "volunteer" for Simcox's Minuteman Civil Defense Corps back in the day.
The claim that like Sgt. Schultz, Pearce knew "Nothing, nothing"?
Well, the allegation that Simcox molested his daughter by a previous marriage when she was 14 has been out there since 2005, first reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was re-reported by numerous outlets over the years.
Simcox is not linked just to Pearce, but to a host of other players in the nativist movement, including Sheriff Joe Arpaio. It's been a movement filled with bigots, criminals, murderers, child slayers, and, perhaps now, a child molester.
When you embrace hate, this is the ilk that is drawn to you. Pearce is a magnet for these people. He exudes a force that they cannot resist: one of racial and ethnic animus, discord, darkness, death.
