Wisconsin congressional candidate charged with disorderly conduct
Matthew Arndt, a Green Party candidate running for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District seat, captured on video in profanity-filled tirade over Israel.
MEQUON - A candidate for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District has been charged in connection with an alleged road rage incident in Mequon. The incident included a profanity-laden tirade over Israel that was caught on video.
Online court records show Matthew Arndt is facing one count of disorderly conduct. He is due in court on Nov. 3 for his initial appearance.
Mequon investigation
The backstory:
It happened at around 8:50 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. Mequon police responded to a report of a road rage and disorderly conduct incident that happened at the Mobil Gas Station at the corner of Mequon and Wauwatosa roads.
According to the criminal complaint, a man driving with his five-year-old son reported another driver, later identified as Matthew Arndt, began tailgating him as he turned eastbound onto Mequon Road.
When Mequon Road became two lanes, the man told police Arndt sped up and pulled into the right lane. The man told investigators Arndt began yelling "F**** Israel, F*** Israel" out of the driver’s side window while giving "the finger," the criminal complaint states.
The man told police he "gave him the finger back."
Wisconsin congressional candidate arrested, tirade over Israel
A candidate for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District was arrested after he was caught on video shouting obscenities about Israel at a person.
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Both men entered the gas station parking lot, where police said Arndt used profane language and made anti-Semitic statements. Arndt was later arrested for disorderly conduct with a hate crime enhancer.
According to the complaint, during an interview with law enforcement, Arndt stated that the other driver repeatedly hit his brakes in front of him. At that point, Arndt said he noticed a sticker on the rear of the vehicle, which read "F*** Hamas."
Per the complaint, Arndt expressed a belief that he had been targeted by the other driver, stating, "I don't know who these people are. I have a feeling that he went out of his way this morning to track me, possibly follow me to where my kids were or knew that I went there." Arndt stated that he was "emotionally upset because these people are going to threaten my family, threaten my children. So yeah, I’m heated."
When asked why he believed the other driver knew who he was, Arndt replied, "Oh they know who I am, just because of my stance online, videos I have recorded, and I have participated in forums throughout the 6th District. So these people know who I am." Arndt added that "clearly these people think they can intimidate me and make me back down," according to the criminal complaint.
‘F*** Israel’
What they're saying:
The interaction at the gas station was caught on video.
"I'm running for Congress here in the 6th District, and f*** Israel. Go f*** yourself," Arndt is heard saying in the video. "The whole country's against you, you piece of s***."
Arndt also shouted "free Palestine." The man who took the video said he thinks a bumper sticker – which reads "F*** Hamas" with the flag of Israel in place of two letters – on his car is what triggered it all.
FOX6 News edited the video for profanity; you can watch it in full below.
Wisconsin congressional candidate arrested, tirade over Israel
A candidate for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District was arrested after he was caught on video shouting obscenities about Israel at a person in a gas station parking lot.
Wisconsin Green Party statement
What they're saying:
The Wisconsin Green Party released a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
"The Wisconsin Green Party Coordinating Council is standing firmly behind Matthew Arndt, our candidate for Congress in Wisconsin's 6th District.
Matthew believes Palestinians have the right to live in freedom and safety. So does the Wisconsin Green Party.
For too long, the United States has supplied the weapons and money used to wage war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and families have been driven from their homes. Republicans and Democrats have both helped make this possible.
Matthew wants it to stop. He supports ending U.S. military aid for the war in Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the right of Palestinians to determine their own future. Opposing the actions of the Israeli government does not mean opposing Jewish people, just as criticizing our own government does not mean opposing Americans. This is about human rights, not religion or nationality.
But Matthew is running for Congress for more than one reason.
He's a CPA who started his own tax and investment firm. He's seen firsthand how our tax laws favor big corporations and wealthy insiders while working people and small businesses struggle to get by.
He wants to break up corporate monopolies, end corporate handouts, and pass Medicare for All. Nobody should lose their home or go bankrupt because someone in the family gets sick.
And he's tired of watching Congress find billions of dollars for another war while telling Americans there's no money for healthcare, housing, or the needs of their own communities.
That's why Matthew is running. And that's why the Wisconsin Green Party is proud to support him.
People in the 6th District have had plenty of opportunities to vote Republican or Democrat. They've heard the promises. They've watched the wars continue, healthcare costs climb, and corporations grow richer no matter which party controls Washington.
It's time to try something different.
Matthew Arndt isn't running to protect either major party's interests. He's running to represent the people of Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District. Learn more about his campaign at https://endthecartel.com/
The Wisconsin Green Party urges voters throughout the district to support Matthew Arndt on November 3."
The Source: Information in this story is from Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the Mequon Police Department, the Wisconsin Green Party and FOX6 News interviews.