Washington Post: Va. Republicans move to dump controversial leader over anti-Semitic online post

For several years, Fredy Burgos has been a controversial but tolerated figure within Virginia’s Republican Party — a verbal bomb thrower whose attacks against Muslims, immigrants and others have turned off moderates while reflecting a new brand of conservatism in the era of Donald Trump.

But in the wake of a wave of Democratic victories last fall that was fueled by anti-Trump sentiment in Northern Virginia, party leaders — worried about losing more voters — moved to force Burgos off of the state central committee this week after he posted a Facebook comment suggesting Jews should not run for political office.

“There’s only so many times that somebody can be given forgiveness for making offensive statements,” said John Whitbeck, chair of the state party, who, along with Rep. Barbara Comstock and a chorus of other Virginia Republicans, called on Sunday for Burgos to immediately resign.

“It makes it much harder for us to convince voters that we’re the party of tolerance and respect for all religions and religious freedom when our own people in our leadership are saying that,” said Whitbeck, who in 2013 faced his own controversy over an anti-Semitic joke.