PENNSYLVANIA — Today, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. sentenced a Lou Barletta ally — Frank Scavo of Old Forge — to 60 days in prison over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Lou Barletta’s PAC, ironically named “Leaders Only Unite,” or LOU PAC, tacitly endorsed Scavo and donated to his unsuccessful bid for the 114th state House District in 2019.
Not only did Scavo record himself inside the Capitol participating in the insurrection, but he also organized four buses to bring Pennsylvanians to Washington, D.C. that day. Scavo has since pleaded guilty to charges and was sentenced today.
All of this begs the question, does Barletta still support Scavo, a now convicted insurrectionist?
Scavo is far from the only far-right extremist Barletta has associated with — in fact, it seems like new connections to extremists are uncovered every day. Barletta has campaigned with “extreme antigovernment group” the Berks County Patriots, bragged about support from conspiracy theorist Rose Tennent who defended the insurrection, and now, refuses to condemn U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, who endorsed Barletta in June. (Gosar also helped plan the January 6th rally and called the 2020 election a “coup.”)
“The list of Lou Barletta’s deep ties with insurrectionists and far-right conspiracy theorists grows longer by the day — it’s no wonder he refuses to denounce far-right extremism or admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 Presidential election,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “Through his far-right friends, Barletta is showing his true colors and he’s clearly at home in a field of dangerous MAGA hopefuls who are more focused on election conspiracies and far-right litmus tests than addressing the challenges facing Pennsylvanians.”
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