Evangelical radio host Bryan Fischer warned his listeners Thursday not to believe the “rumors” swirling around his status with the American Family Association. Then he went ahead and confirmed those rumors: Fischer was no longer serving as a spokesman for the social conservative group.
“I’ve taken off my hat as spokesman for AFA,” Fischer said on his radio program “Focal Point,” which streams on AFA’s website.
MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” reported Wednesday night that AFA President Tim Wildmon fired Fischer from his spokesman position because of statements he’d made in the past about homosexuality and the Holocaust. The alleged firing came as AFA and its subsidiary, the American Renewal Project, prepared to host members of the Republican National Committee, reportedly including Chairman Reince Priebus, on a trip to Israel beginning Saturday.
Fischer disputed that report. He explained that he gave up his spokesman duties since they conflicted with his duties as an AFA radio host.
“The challenge that creates is that spokesmen aren’t hired, they’re not paid to have their own opinions,” he said, adding “if you hire a talk show host, you are hiring him for his opinion.”
Fischer went on to slam “low-information,” liberal media for the “false assumption that I was representing the official views of AFA.”
Fischer estimated that he’d logged somewhere between 2,700 and 3,000 hours on the air. He said that In that time, he was bound to say some things that he would ideally have chosen “different language” to convey.
A spokeswoman for the RNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TPM. The AFA also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TPM through its public relations representative.
