WALBERG BLOWBACK:

Prior to his 16 years in the Michigan House and his eighth term representing the 5th District in Congress representing in whole or in part 10 counties along the state’s southern border, Republican Rep. Tim Walberg spent time as a pastor in Indiana and Michigan. So it comes as no surprise that he has been invited a number of times to attend and/or be among the keynote speakers at international prayer breakfasts hosted by the Fellowship Foundation (International Foundation) in places that have included Europe and Africa. The group picked up the $7,000 tab for Walberg last fall, according to required ethics filings in D.C. The usually benign and seldom covered affair catapulted into the headlines after the early October 2023 National Prayer Day in Uganda where its president, Yoweri Museveni, signed into law in May of last year an antigay law that includes the death penalty for members of the LGBTQ+ community. When it came time for Walberg to address those assembled,  he urged Uganda officials not to bow to pressure from international forces (World Bank, UN and WHO) or those in the United States who have opposed the Anti-Homosexual Act and to “stand firm” for “values that God created.” Critics – including Democrat U.S. House member Elissa Slotkin – along with the Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, and President Joe Biden, called out the support of a law that undermines what many consider a violation of generally accepted human rights. As expected, Walberg’s office tried to dance around the hot mess but failed miserably.