Allen West

Allen WestMember of the from 's districtIn office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013Preceded bySucceeded byPersonal detailsBornAllen Bernard West February 7, 1961 , , U.S.Political partySpouse(s)Angela Graham () () ()WebsiteMilitary serviceAllegianceUnited StatesBranch/service Years of service1982–2004 (U.S. Army) 2019–present (Texas State Guard)Rank CommandsBattles/wars Awards

Allen Bernard West (born February 7, 1961) is an American political commentator, retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, author, and former member of the . A member of the , West represented in the House from 2011 to 2013.

West was deployed to in 1991 and in 2003. In 2003, West was charged in an incident that involved the beating and of an Iraqi policeman. After an was held, West accepted , was fined $5,000, and allowed to retire as a

After leaving the military, West moved to Florida, where he taught at a high school for a year and worked for a defense contractor, part of this time spent in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to the . West entered politics in 2008 as the Republican nominee for Florida's 22nd congressional district , losing to incumbent . In a re-match , he won the seat, coinciding with significant Republican gains in the .

West took office in January 2011 as the first African-American Republican member of Congress from Florida since left office in 1876 near the end of . In Congress, West was a high-profile member of the and the .

due to the resulted in West switching to for the . He lost to Democratic nominee in what was the most expensive congressional House race of that cycle.

In July 2019, West announced he would be running for the of the in 2020. He will be facing the incumbent chairman, .

On May 23, 2020, West was involved in a motorcycle crash just outside . A car veered unexpectedly, resulting in a collision involving West and another motorcycle. He was airlifted to the hospital, and his social media team announced he was in “stable condition.”

Contents Early life and education[] Allen Bernard West was born in , to Elizabeth (née Thomas; 1931–1994) and Herman West, Sr. (1920–1986) on February 7, 1961. His father and older brother were both career military officers; West's father served in , and his brother served in . His mother was a civilian employee of the . Although both of his parents were registered Democrats, West has remarked that they raised him "very conservatively".

In the tenth grade, West joined the program and entered the Army in 1983 when he graduated from the . West is the third of four consecutive generations in his family to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. He later received a master's degree in political science from . He also earned a master of military arts and sciences degree from the U.S. Army in political theory and military history and operations.

Military career (1983–Present)[] Overview[] West entered active duty on November 1, 1983, at , Oklahoma, where he completed the Field Artillery Officer's Basic Course (FACBOC). He then proceeded to at , Georgia, where he received his . His first assignment was as an airborne infantry fire support officer and platoon leader, as well as battalion training officer for the 4th B.C.T.(Battalion Combat Team), , SETAF (Southern European Task Force) under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas R. Needham at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. In 1987, West was promoted to and attended the Field Artillery Officer's Advanced Course. Following graduation, West took command of B Battery, , . He served as the battalion task force fire support officer for 2d Battalion, . As a member of the 1st Infantry Division he deployed for and Operation Desert Storm.

After returning from Kuwait, West served as an instructor at Kansas State University from 1991 to 1994, becoming the U.S. Army ROTC Instructor of the Year in 1993. In January 1995 he was assigned to the Support Command as the assistant operations/combat plans officer. West was promoted to before he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1997. Upon completion, he became the operations officer for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade before being assigned as executive officer of 1st Battalion, . Afterwards, West served as an Army exchange officer at the at from 1999 to 2002 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

The culminating assignment of West's career was his assumption of command of the Regiment, on June 6, 2002. During the Iraq War in 2003, he deployed with his battalion until he was relieved of command by the Army following a use-of-force incident concerning an Iraqi policeman. At his Article 32 hearing, West admitted violating Army rules by holding the policeman captive, punching him in the face, conducting a mock execution and by firing a pistol held against the Iraqi's head. West was subsequently allowed to retire in 2004.

Military decorations[] West's awards and decorations include the ; (two ); (three Oak Leaf Clusters, one ); (one Oak Leaf Cluster); ; ; and the Master Parachutist Badge.

Iraq torture incident[] While serving in , West received information from an intelligence specialist about a plot to ambush his unit. The alleged plot involved Yahya Jhodri Hamoodi, an officer. West had his men detain Hamoodi. Soldiers testified that in the process of detaining Hamoodi, he appeared to reach for his weapon and needed to be subdued. Hamoodi was beaten by four soldiers from the 2/20th Field Artillery Battalion on the head and body. West then fired his pistol near Hamoodi's head, after which Hamoodi provided West with names and information, which Hamoodi later described as "meaningless information induced by fear and pain". At least one of these suspects was arrested as a result, but no plans for attacks or weapons were found. West said "At the time I had to base my decision on the intelligence I received. It's possible that I was wrong about Mr. Hamoodi."

West was charged with violating Articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the . During a hearing held as part of an Article 32 investigation in November 2003, West stated, "I know the method I used was not right, but I wanted to take care of my soldiers." The charges were ultimately referred to an Article 15 proceeding rather than court-martial, at which West was fined $5,000. West accepted the judgment and retired with full benefits as a lieutenant colonel in the summer of 2004. Asked if he would act differently under similar circumstances, West testified, "If it's about the lives of my soldiers at stake, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can." At his hearing, West said that there were no ambushes against American forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post a month later. After West's retirement he received more than 2,000 letters and e-mails offering him moral support. A letter supporting West was signed by 95 members of the U.S. Congress and sent to the .

Texas State Guard[] On August 29, 2019 West was sworn into the . The swear-in ceremony took place at in as part of the festivities of a - baseball game. As per the policies of the , West retained the same rank of which he earned in Federal military service, .

Post-military career (2004–2007)[] After retiring from the Army, West and his family moved to Florida. He taught U.S. history and coached track and field at for a year. He then spent two years working for (MPRI), a defense contractor. While with MPRI, West was positioned in , Afghanistan. In that capacity, he was an adviser to the .

U.S. House of Representatives[] Elections[] 2008See also: In 2006, 25-year incumbent Republican was defeated by Democrat Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd Congressional District. Allen West entered politics in to regain the lost House seat, challenging freshman incumbent Klein. West received the Republican nomination without opposition. However, he lost to Klein by a margin of 9.4% of the votes. The official results were Klein with 169,041 votes (54.7%), West with 140,104 votes (45.3%), and with 6 votes.

2010See also: West spoke at the on February 20, 2010, and was endorsed by former Alaska Governor . West was one of 32 African-American Republican candidates for Congress in 2010. He said he supported the and rejected the notion that the movement was motivated by racism, saying the accusation was a creation of liberal critics and the news media. West has been described as a "tea party star" became a member of the congressional Tea Party Caucus in February 2011.

In September 2010, the Florida Democratic Party produced a flyer that contained West's unredacted Social Security number. While the party called it an "oversight" and offered to pay for identity theft protection, West harshly condemned the flyer for exposing his family to identity theft.

West defeated incumbent Ron Klein by a margin of 8.8%. West, along with newly elected , were the first African-American Republicans in Congress since retired in 2003. West raised $5.4 million for his campaign, while his incumbent opponent raised $2.5 million. According to West, "...over 97 percent of our donations have come from individual contributions."

2012Main article: West speaking at the 2013 (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.West raised more than $1.5 million in the 2011 second quarter to support his 2012 reelection bid. The 's in 2011 named West one of the top 10 Republicans most vulnerable to redistricting in 2012.

Redistricting made the 22nd, which already had a modest Democratic lean, even more Democratic. West faced the prospect of running against West Palm Beach mayor in the general election. On February 1, 2012, West announced that he would run for reelection in the neighboring 18th District. That district had previously been the 16th, represented by fellow Republican . However, Rooney opted to seek reelection in the newly created 17th District, a move that was considered likely to dramatically improve West's chances of reelection, although it was still a competitive race.

In the new district, West received a primary challenge from Sheriff Robert Crowder. West did not debate Crowder and said "debating an uninformed opponent would waste voters' time". Incumbent West defeated Crowder in a landslide, receiving 74.4% of the vote.

His general election opponent was Democrat Patrick Murphy, a political newcomer and a Republican until 2011. The campaign featured several negative ads, including one released by American Sunrise PAC that was extremely critical of West's policies and depicted him in violent cartoon action against several individuals. West issued a statement condemning the ad, stating that it "plays on stereotypes" with the goal of diverting Americans from more pressing matters at hand such as high unemployment. He claimed the ad was released by the family of his opponent. The campaign manager of his opponent, said the ad was from a third party and therefore held no liability for it. After primary opponent Crowder endorsed Murphy, a spokesman of the West campaign said "Crowder is a Democrat and a sore loser. I'm shocked he waited this long. Perhaps Crowder hopes to continue cozying up to local Democrats so he can be their nominee against Allen West in 2014."

Initial vote counts showed Murphy defeating West by a narrow margin of 2,000 votes. West did not concede, citing irregularities in where some early ballots may have been counted twice. Florida state election officials unofficially certified Murphy as the winner, A partial recount of early ballots cast between November 1 and 3, 2012, in St. Lucie County slightly decreased the margin separating the candidates, and the West campaign sought further recounts. West said that if the final results show a loss, he would not cling to his title as a member of Congress, but wanted to ensure a fair election was carried out, raising the potential of a protracted legal battle. As of the November 18 state deadline, the St. Lucie County election officials had not completed a recount of all of the early ballots, and so the previously submitted vote count which showed Murphy as the winner by 2,146 votes was submitted to the state election officials. The West campaign conceded the election on November 20, 2012. Meanwhile, Frankel went on to victory in the 22nd.

Tenure[] > There are those who will hate your own country, America, regardless of the self-evident truths. To you I say that life just does not get any better than the 'Land of the all night IHOP' … and if you truly hate America so much, you are also free to find another home. There is surely an illegal immigrant who will be happy in yours.

—Allen West, in his 2007 debut monthly "Column From Kandahar" for 's blog West's rhetoric won him both support and condemnation from differing groups along the American political spectrum. Members of the conservative movement viewed him as a "torch bearer" and "conservative icon", with Sarah Palin and both suggesting him for vice president, and supporting him for president. In January 2013, U.S. Representatives (R-Georgia) and (R-Texas) both voted for West as Speaker of the House, even though he was no longer a member of Congress. Some of his statements include calling President "an abject failure", ordering both pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the views of "chicken men" Democrats to "get the hell out" of the United States, opining that drivers with Obama bumper stickers are "a threat to the gene pool", and pronouncing that African American Democrats are trying to keep African Americans "on the ", while casting himself as the "modern-day " ferrying them to rescue. In a critical summation of West's style, the magazine opined that "[for West] every sentence is a proxy war in the larger struggle between patriots and the 'people in this world that just have to have their butts kicked.'".

In January 2011, West joined House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman (R-FL) in condemning the official flying of a flag in Washington D.C. West said that the raising of the flag is "an attempt to legitimize an organization with a known history of terrorist actions". In February, West described as one of his "foreign policy heroes", and implored his followers to read 's to "understand what they're up against". Other authors West has cited in helping him shape his worldview include philosopher and General .

On June 2, 2011 Allen West wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to grant clemency to . Mr. West wrote, "After serving 26 years behind bars, Jonathan Pollard's health is deteriorating, as is his wife's. If we can consent to the release by the British of the Lockerbie bomber back to Libya due to health concern, how can we justify keeping Mr. Pollard behind bars when his crimes were clearly not as serious as a terrorist who murdered hundreds of Americans?" Pollard was released on November 20, 2015, in accordance with federal guidelines in place at the time of his sentencing. Anne Pollard, his ex-wife, said "No one helped him. No government reduced his sentence by even one day."

West attempted to cast his work overseas in historical terms, theorizing that America is following in the footsteps of at the , or the 300 at the , in defending Western civilization against threats from the Middle East. In speaking on what he believed to be , West remarked that "Something happened when enacted the and he left and he went out to , it became violence." Because of this view, in February 2011, West cited the threat of "radical Islamic terrorists" as his motivation for voting to extend provisions of the ; He voted against another extension in May 2011. When asked during an interview with how he would work with others "like , who supports Islam", West stated that Ellison, a Minnesota representative and practicing Muslim, represents the "antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established". West later argued that his initial comment was misconstrued. He said the comments were "not about his Islamic faith, but about his continued support of the (CAIR)". In a Boynton Beach Town Hall meeting, West told the Miami leader of CAIR that "I will always defend your right to practice a free religion under the , but what you must understand, if I am speaking the truth, I am not going to stop speaking the truth. The truth is not subjective."

On July 19, 2011, West sent an email to Democratic representative and chairwoman in response to comments directed at him in a speech the congresswoman made on the floor of the House of Representatives after West had departed the chamber. West's email, which he copied to members of House Democratic and Republican leadership, characterized Wasserman as "the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives", said that she was "not a lady" and asked that she focus, instead, on her own congressional district. This is a long-standing dispute that West says "dates back to the disgusting protest you ordered at my campaign headquarters, October 2010 in Deerfield Beach".

At a town hall meeting in Palm City, Florida on April 11, 2012, West was asked by a man in the audience, "What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card carrying or International Socialists?" West responded that "there's about 78 to 81 members of the that are members of the ." When asked to name them, he replied "It's called the ."

Committee assignments[] West was appointed to the and the .

Caucus memberships[] When West joined the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on January 5, 2011, he became the first Republican to join the CBC since former Congressman of Connecticut retired in 1997.

Post-congressional career[] Allen West at the National Pachyderm Convention in Galveston, Texas on September 7, 2019.In January 2013, West was hired as a full-time director of programming for Next Generation.TV, part of ; in mid-September 2013 his role changed to a twice-a-month contributor. On May 16, 2013, Fox News announced it had hired West as a contributor to offer political commentary during the network's daytime and prime time shows.

Following the in June 2015, South Carolina Governor called for the to be removed from a memorial outside the state capital. West referred to the debate over the flag as a "manufactured crisis" invented by liberals to distract from black-on-black violence.

In September 2015, West was nominated to the , which oversees the need for Texas state agencies, as the 's appointed public member.

West is a Life and Endowment Member of the (NRA). In May 2016, he announced that he had been elected as a member of the NRA Board of Directors for a three-year term.

On December 9, 2016, West's official Facebook page posted that Trump had selected as Secretary of Defense to exterminate Muslims. Michele Hickford, the editor-in-chief of West's website, removed the post, apologized to readers, claimed she did not post it, took responsibility as editor-in-chief, and stated West had no part in the post.

West was an Executive Director of the , a free-market public policy research organization, from July 2016 until it ceased operations in mid-2017.

2020 Republican Party of Texas Chairman election[] In July 2019, West announced that he was running for Chairman of the . He will be facing the incumbent chair, of Austin. West has outlined a few issues on which he will be running: he wants to “strengthen our families,” to “stand up for life” and to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. He has also stated that he thinks that should resign. West has been endorsed by former state party chairs and Cathie Adams and former vice-chair .

Personal life[] West was first married to Gayle Mosby. Later, West married Angela M. Graham on December 24, 1989. She holds a in education from , and received a gubernatorial appointment to the board of trustees of . They have two daughters. West and his family moved to after he became CEO of the -based in January 2015. He is a .

He is a certified , motorcycle enthusiast and honorary member of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club. He was a co-host for 2013.

Electoral history[] 2008 22nd Congressional District of Florida ElectionsPartyCandidateVotes%± Ron Klein (incumbent) 169,041 54.7 Allen West140,104 45.32010 22nd Congressional District of Florida ElectionsPartyCandidateVotes%± Allen West 115,411 54.3 Ron Klein (incumbent)97,051 45.72012 18th Congressional District of Florida ElectionsPartyCandidateVotes%± Patrick Murphy 166,799 50.4 Allen West (incumbent) 164,37049.6See also[] References[] Published works[] External links[] Wikimedia Commons has media related to .Wikiquote has quotations related to: Preceded by Member of the from 2011–2013Succeeded by

anchors and correspondentsAnchorsHostsCorrespondents and reportersContributors and analystsMeteorologists [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1]Retrieved from "": Hidden categories: Ex-congressman Allen West injured in Texas crash

Ex-congressman Allen West injured in Texas crash

Follow Us © 1996-2020 News Communication TRENDING: By - 05/24/20 01:25 PM EDT 13 Just In... © Getty Images Former Rep. (R-Fla.) is recovering from a concussion and several fractured bones after a motorcycle accident, a spokesperson for West said Sunday.

, a spokesperson for West’s campaign for Texas Republican party chair, said the injuries are serious, but West“plans to continue to be a proponent for freedom and the state of Texas, and will resume his regular calendar of activities upon clearance by his medical team.”

West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was struck by a fellow motorcyclist during his drive back from a “Free Texas Rally” in Austin, Twombly said.

ADVERTISEMENTWest was struck by the motorcycle after a car cut in front them, Twombly added.

He said law enforcement reported that “an unidentified vehicle changed lanes when unsafe” in front of the motorcyclists.

“The motorcyclist attempted to brake, and the rear motorcyclist crashed into the front motorcyclist. Both motorcyclist(s) were transported to Baylor Scott and White in Waco to be treated for non-life threatening injuries,’” Twombly said, citing law enforcement officials.

West’s wife, Angele Graham West, said in a Facebook post Saturday that the former GOP lawmaker .

Texas Republican Chairman James Dickey, West’s political opponent, was among Texas Republicans issuing prayers for West on Saturday.

West thanked the public for their “well wishes, messages and continued prayers” on his behalf, Twombly said.

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Former U.S. Congressman Allen West injured in motorcycle crash ...

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by Associated Press

Sunday, May 24th 2020AA(AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)Former U.S. Rep. Allen West of Florida has been injured in a motorcycle crash in Texas.

West’s wife wrote on Facebook on Saturday evening that his motorcycle was hit outside Waco and he was in the emergency room.

She did not immediately release additional details about his condition.

Lt. Col. West moved from Florida to Texas after leaving Congress in 2013.

The Republican Congressman served one term and once called for then-President Barack Obama’s impeachment.

West is running for chair of the Republican Party of Texas.

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