GOP state House candidate says he’s not a Holocaust denier
Elk Grove Township Republican Committeeman Edward Lapinski repudiated accusations he is a Holocaust denier and antisemitic.
Responding to controversial statements that came to light last week, he said text messages exchanged between him and another Republican committeeperson were maliciously presented out of context.
Lapinski was removed as secretary of the Cook County GOP. He remains on the ballot for committeeman in March and plans to challenge incumbent Michelle Mussman for the 56th representative district later this year.
Lapinski said messages exchanged with New Trier Township Republican Committeeperson Julie Cho in June were shared on social media to damage his character.
“Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never denied the Holocaust. The Holocaust is a historical fact and one of the most horrific acts of genocide in human history. Any attempt to deny, minimize or exploit such an horrific event is truly reprehensible,” he said in a statement.
He added that, as someone with Jewish heritage, the Holocaust is personal, not just a political issue. However, he criticized using the tragedy of the Holocaust for political gain, calling it atrocious.
Cho said she shared a video sent to her by a former Chicago ward committeeman. The video, titled “Consequences for the World of the Holocaust Narrative by Father James Mawdsley,” angered her. It called the Holocaust an evil myth and denied the existence of gas chambers.
She sent it to several people, including Lapinski. However, in a text exchange she shared with the Daily Herald, Lapinski responded, based on videos he has seen of historical sites of “supposed gas chambers,” several weren’t actual gas chambers because they lacked piping and mechanical HVAC ventilation.
He texted her he only watched the initial 20 minutes because he was busy with a highway cleanup project.
When she asked him whether he thinks it’s a false claim that six million Jews were killed, he replied, “I think the number is exaggerated,” adding, “Not saying that people weren’t wrongly killed or injustice didn’t happen.”
Lapinski said he deeply regrets some words he chose in the private exchange, but although he had no intention of hurting or offending anyone, he takes full responsibility for his language and its effect.
In his version of events, he was asked “by a close colleague” to watch a video and share his thoughts. He was then “pestered to answer very direct and leading questions.” He claimed to listen to a small portion of the video and answered the questions in haste.
But Cho, who is calling on Lapinski to resign his post as committeeman, said, “How is asking a question setting anyone up unless the response is controversial. I sent the same video to several people,” and every single person other than Lapinski stopped watching after the first 15 seconds and responded, “Sick” or “Evil.”