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Who is Mark Finchem? Arizona Rep who called Loews Hotels 'Hitler and Stalin' said to be 'responsible' for Capitol riots

'We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions,' Hotel Loews stated

Loews Hotels says it will no longer allow a fundraiser for Sen. Josh Hawley, which is scheduled for February, to be held at one of its hotels. The move is the latest fallout from the Missouri Republican's widely criticized decision to object to Electoral College results during Congress' certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win. Now, Arizona State Rep. Mark Finchem has criticized the Hotel chain with 'Hitler and Stalin' comment, sparking a fury on the Internet.

The fundraiser was raised by a political action committee, Fighting for Missouri, and was scheduled to take place February 12 to 15 in Orlando, Florida, at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. A flyer for the event stated a "fun-filled-family-friendly" time, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the group size.

"We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions," Hotel Loews said on Saturday, January 16, in a Twitter statement. "In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels." Later, on January 18, Finchem slammed the hotel and tweeted, "Lowe’s has permanently lost my business. This is what Hitler and Stalin did, what’s next camps? Ovens? Patriots, you might want to #cancelLoews reservations."

As soon as his 'Hitler and Stalin' comment came to light, people started slamming him. Voice-over artist, Neil Kaplan tweeted: "I’m watching a documentary about World War II, and they totally skip over the part where Hitler and Stalin canceled political fundraising party rentals. Unless the Holocaust was more about canceled hotel rooms and less about genocide and I somehow missed that part." While another one slammed him and said: "Yes, Hitler and Stalin told hotels to cancel fundraisers. Trotsky was so bummed out. Wait, no, Hitler and Stalin had their enemies shot and stabbed in the head with an ice pick. You were close, though."

Sports Writer Charlie Pierce said, "Hitler and Stalin -- noted for their tyrannical obsessions with the hospitality industry. Please go lie down in a dark room for a day or two." While another one slammed MAGA and wrote, "MAGA when a gay couple is refused the services of a business: "It's the business' right to do that. The gays should go to another vendor." MAGA when they're refused the service of a business: "Breach of my rights! It's like the things Hitler and Stalin did!!!""

Who is Mark Finchem?

Mark Finchem is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives who represents District 11 since January 5, 2015. He also serves as the "Arizona Coordinator" for the Coalition of the Western States, an organization involved in domestic terrorism for staging armed riots against the U.S. government and whose founder threatened to kill the citizens of US. Finchem is also a member of the radical militia group Oath Keepers, whose founder called for John McCain to be executed. Oath Keepers also appeared as self‐appointed armed guards at military recruiting centers in different parts of the country following the deadly shooting attacks by Mohammad Abdulazeez on two military facilities in  Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July 2015. In August, they set up a so‐called “security mission” at a Montana mine to prevent “unlawful action by the United States Forest Service.” More recently, the Oath Keepers organization tried to exploit the controversy surrounding Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same‐sex couples.

For 21 years, Finchem worked for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and in 1999 he retired. He then moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he served a software manufacturer advancing to senior management before becoming a real estate broker in 2008. Finchem became an even more controversial figure when he traveled to Washington, DC to take part in the January 6, 2021 riots claiming "substantial evidence that this election was a fraud" and tweeted pictures of the protesters thronging the steps of the Capitol building.

In a letter to Arizona Daily Star, one of the readers claimed that Finchem was responsible for the violence in Capotol Hill. The letter by one Carol Fiore reads: "He was there, but he says he didn’t go inside the Capitol building. He says he never engaged in the violence or looting. He says he isn’t responsible for the deaths. But LD 11 Rep. Mark Finchem flew to D.C., after months of posting about the “stolen” election, with the express purpose of overturning the will of the American people. This is called sedition."

"Like the president, Mr. Finchem is responsible for the violence because he helped to fuel it on social media. His attempts to overthrow the government disqualify him from holding public office, and he should be removed immediately," concludes the letter.

Finchem later claimed without evidence that Democrats incited the violence. A coalition of community groups finally called for the suspension of Finchem and six other Republican lawmakers from Arizona's legislature for publicly advocating overturning the 2020 election results.