Friday Afternoon, May 28, 2021
MRFF VICTORY!
DUE TO MRFF, ARMY RESERVE COMMAND ANNOUNCES FORMAL INVESTIGATION
OF ARMY RESERVE CHAPLAIN AND CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ALEX STOVALL

DUE SOLELY TO MRFF'S MEDIA EXPOSURE
AND ITS OPEN DEMAND LETTER TO DEFENSE SEC. AUSTIN, THE ARMY RESERVE COMMAND IS AWARE OF AND INVESTIGATING ARMY RESERVE CHAPLAIN (1LT) AND
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ALEX STOVALL
Stovall campaign ad with photo of Stovall in uniform
ARMY TIMES
COVERS MRFF

Army Reserve lieutenant’s campaign ad
for Congress in Arizona under scrutiny

By: Davis Winkie

Friday, May 28, 2021

(Excerpt from Army Times)

[...]

Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said in a letter to Pentagon leadership Thursday that Stovall violated Uniform Code of Military Justice provisions prohibiting commissioned officers from saying “contemptuous words” against the president, vice president, Congress and other senior government officials.

[...]
Background on MRFF's Exposure of Army Reserve Chaplain and Congressional Candidate Alex Stovall
In a flagrant and egregious violation of Article 88 of the Uniform
Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) — "Contempt towards officials" —
Army Reserve Chaplain (1LT) Alex Stovall, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Congress from Arizona, denies Biden's presidency and illicitly appears in military uniform in campaign ads. Stovall has habitually and criminally used contemptuous words towards President Biden, most recently saying on the GunFreedomRadio podcast:

"We saw the inauguration of this well, I don't think he's
President but whoever you would call this sleepy guy in office"

For a military officer, these words are a PUNISHABLE CRIME.

MRFF has now officially demanded that Chaplain (1LT) Stovall
be swiftly punished for his multiple violations of the UCMJ.
Read MRFF's letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding the swift and visible punishment of Chaplain/Congressional candidate Alex Stovall

Three Critical Links Included in MRFF's Demand Letter Below:
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Background on Chaplain (1LT) Alex Stovall's
brazen disregard of DoD regulations in his political campaign ads and legally punishable contempt towards the President of the United States
MRFF OP-ED ON
LA PROGRESSIVE & DAILY KOS

#1 Trending story on Daily Kos on May 25

Army Chaplain Running for Congress Denies that Biden is President, Vows to “Take on AOC”

By: MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

(Excerpts from LA Progressive/Emphasis Added by MRFF)
Chris Rodda
Appearing on the GunFreedomRadio podcast, 26-year-old Army Reserve chaplain Alex Stovall, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Congress from Arizona, made his opinion of Joe Biden and the legitimacy of the 2020 election very clear, saying:

"We saw the inauguration of this well, I don't think he's President but whoever you would call this sleepy guy in office"

In an email this morning to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) alerting MRFF to Stovall’s wearing of his uniform in his campaign ads, a retired Air Force senior NCO asked:

“[D]oes wearing a uniform in the ad and directly attacking A.O.C. constitute a violation of Art 88 if being done and done on social-media in a cognizable duty status (such as on ADT Annual Tour or IDT weekend drills)?”

The answer to the retired NCO’s question in an unequivocal YES!!!

Article 88, part of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, also known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) addresses “Contempt toward officials,” stating (emphasis added):

“Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

For a military officer, publicly calling the president “this sleepy guy in office" and saying you “don't think he's President” is a punishable crime under the UCMJ.

Chaplain Stovall’s campaign ads also violate DoD Directive 1344.10, “Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces,” which contains a detailed section on what is and what is not allowed in campaign materials for active, reserve, or retired members of the military running for office.

The only use of photos of the candidate in uniform that is allowed are photos as part of the candidates biographical information, when accompanied by other non-military photos, and when also accompanied by a disclaimer stating that the appearance of the photo in uniform doesn’t imply a DoD endorsement.

[...]

The focal point of Chaplain Stovall’s campaign ads is that he is a U.S. military chaplain — a chaplain who will “take on AOC.”  

Chaplain Stovall’s campaign ads primarily target one person — Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). According to Stovall:

“Socialists like AOC hate two things — God and America.”

Not surprisingly, Stovall is also opposed to mask-wearing, idiotically saying on the GunFreedomRadio podcast:

“The government has no business telling us what to wear. … For Pete sake, you're telling me I have to wear a mask to go into a grocery store? Before you know it, they'll be telling you to wrap your face with Saran wrap.”

Equally unsurprising is that this Army Reserve chaplain and wannabe congressman is a former regional director for BLEXIT, the Trump-supporting organization founded by Candace Owens to “free” Black people from the Democratic Party.

He was also a “field organizer for the Trump Victory Campaign,” telling a reporter at the December 12, 2020 post-election-loss Trump rally in Washington, DC:

“I support President Trump because I’m a veteran myself, and he’s a patriot. He loves America. He doesn’t want America to be for sale anymore. Nor do I. I take pride in my country, I take pride in the things I fought for, and the brothers that have died before me. And if I could say anything to President Trump, I would say keep on keeping on. He’s fighting the good fight.”

[...]

But, back to the matter at hand, Stovall is a U.S. military officer who is flagrantly violating military regulations to further his political ambition to join the ranks of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Matt Gaetz (if he’s still in Congress and not in jail) in 2022. 

MRFF, as it similarly and successfully did when failed Georgia Senate candidate and chaplain Doug Collins was similarly violating the same regulations in his 2020 Georgia primary ads, will be taking action to stop this anti-American chaplain/model/actor/financial advisor from illegally using his military rank and position to advertise his candidacy and his contempt for America.

[...]
MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein's statement on Chaplain Stovall's illegal campaign ads
and contemptuous words towards President Biden
Mikey Weinstein
U.S. Army Reserve Officer/Chaplain Alex Stovall has most disgustingly managed to BLATANTLY violate just about as many crucial DoD regulations and standards as is humanly possible.

MRFF will shortly be officially demanding to the Pentagon that the U.S. Army vigorously investigate and aggressively and visibly punish this individual to the full extent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and related regulatory provisions.
Email of appreciation from retired Senior NCO
who reported Chaplain Stovall's illicit
campaign ads to MRFF

"Champions for Warfighters"

From: (MRFF client/Retired Senior NCO’s email address withheld)
Subject: Champions for Warfighters
Date: May 26, 2021 at 12:21:22 PM MDT
To: Mikey Weinstein <mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>

As a retired SNCO, with time to be thoughtful about an American society and political climate that is very different from when I enlisted over 30 years ago, I'm more vigilant to the intrusions of uninvited religion into my everyday life. Seeing these changes can be unnerving and has made me more sensitive to how even strong democracies can be undermined by those who think they have a divine mandate to commandeer and recreate society in their self-defined image. When the spectacle of these intrusions becomes most outrageous, I know I can rely on the MRFF to pick-up the cause and champion for the Constitutional rights of both service members and the hard fought reputation of the services. My advice to a younger generation of warfighter is not to wait until you are retired to think about these things, but rather to look to the MRFF for zealous advocacy now -- for the Constitution and what it represents needs protecting today.

<signed>

A retired SNCO
Lincoln Project Executive Director Fred Wellman tweets MRFF's article about Chaplain Stovall
Previous MRFF Victory when failed U.S. Senate candidate Doug Collins (R-GA) – also a military chaplain – illegally used his military uniform
and position in his 2020 campaign ads
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