Walz education director appointee who called for overthrow of US government under GOP fire: ‘insurrectionist’

FIRST ON FOX: Indiana Republican Jim Banks demands investigation into Minnesota professor appointed to ‘ethnic studies’ working group in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz Department of Education, condemning professor’s earlier comments that the United States should be “overthrown” because it is “irredeemably racist”.

“(Brian Lozenski) has made clear, publicly and on video, that he supports the deconstruction and collapse of the United States because our nation is irredeemably racist and evil. “It is a radical and destructive worldview that, with Governor Walz’s recent signing of the Minnesota education law, will be taught to thousands of children across the state,” Banks, who is running for Senate and won the endorsement of former President Trump last month, wrote in his letter .

The letter was first obtained by Fox News Digital and asks Jennifer Hoppenstedt, interim inspector general for Minnesota Department of Educationto investigate Brian Lozenski, associate professor of urban and multicultural education at Macalester College, for comments calling for an “insurrection against the United States.” Macalester College is a private liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Rep. Jim Banks and Governor Tim Walz (Getty Images)

“​I urge you to investigate Mr. Lozenski’s history of advocating insurrection against the United States and to investigate whether Mr. Lozenski’s radical anti-American views influenced the development of the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Working Group’s ethnic studies framework,” Banks continued his letter .

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Lozenski was appointed by the Walz State Department of Education to help write an ethnic studies framework for the state. The work of the ethnic studies working group will conclude on October 31, when the Bank’s letter will be sent to the IG approximately one week before the deadline.

Walz taught high school social studies before entering politics in 2006 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Minnesota.

Rep. Jim Banks speaks during a news conference criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan outside the U.S. Capitol, Aug. 24, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital previously reported that a video posted on June 19, 2022 by The Solidarity Network showed Lozenski discussing his critical research on race theory and arguing that the United States is “irredeemably racist” and “must be overthrown.”

“We don’t use critical race theory in school,” Lozenski said. “The first tenet of critical race theory is that the United States is irredeemably racist by design. So if the nation-state is irredeemably racist in its design, it must end. They must be overturned,” he said. in the 2022 movie

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“We can say, ‘Oh no, critical race theory is just about telling our stories and diversity,'” he added. “That’s not the point. It’s about hypertrophy. This is rebellious.”

Governor Tim Walz speaks during a rally encouraging people to vote on October 22, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The video was removed from YouTube last month as it gained media attention Walz’s campaign for vice president is underway on the Democratic ticket.

“You can’t be a critical race theorist and be pro-American. OK, it’s an anti-state theory that says the United States should be deconstructed, period,” he continued in the video.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign, Lozensky and Minnesota Department of Education but did not immediately receive a response on Sunday. The banks sent the letter on Friday.

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“Mr. Lozenski is a critical supporter of race theory and an associate professor of urban and multicultural education at Macalester College. He was apparently selected to serve on the working group after his support of Minnesota House Bill 1502, which established the Ethnic Studies Working Group, because of his experience teaching ethnic studies in St. Patrick’s Public Schools. Paul,” Banks continued in his letter.

Banks’ letter comes as Harris and Walz address voters in the final stretch of the election cycle. (Reuters)

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“He also started a group called Education for Liberation Minnesota, which advocates for additional ethnic studies curriculum in Minnesota public schools. “Not surprisingly, a closer look at Mr. Lozenski’s past statements reveals radical political views that should disqualify him from working in public education, and certainly from developing a statewide curriculum.”

Lozensky’s biography boasts that he is the author of a book titled “My Emancipation Don’t Fit Your Equation: Critical Enactments of Black Education in the US” and serves on the editorial board of the journal Ethnic Studies Pedagogies.

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The banks’ letter arrived Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz they appeal to voters in the final stage of the election cycle. A national poll released last week by the Wall Street Journal showed Trump with a slight lead over Harris, 47% approval to 45%.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

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