B-a-n-a-n-a-s? Candidate’s ‘joke’ about Banana Republic overshadows what’s in store for FBI

Bo Hines, a candidate for Congress in the Triangle, made headlines this week for referencing Banana Republic — the stores run by Gap Inc. — in place of a political and derogatory term used to describe tyrannical countries in the tropics.

But the focus on Hines’ comments has taken away from the fact that in the same breath the congressional hopeful called on lawmakers to defund both the FBI and the IRS.

Hines’ statement happened on the John Fredericks Radio show, a conservative streaming talk show in the Mid-Atlantic region that touts itself as either “making news or breaking news.”

Fredericks asked Hines if Congress would actually consider defunding the FBI and the IRS, which has become a new call to action by Republicans following the FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, on the suspicion that Trump had top-secret government documents.

“We have to,” Hines said. “We’re at a point in our country now where we have an unregulated fourth branch of government that’s targeting middle-class Americans on a daily basis. I mean, it’s unbelievable what we’re seeing.”

The part of his statement that people have reacted to on Twitter came next: “You know, a lot of people have likened the situation that’s going on right now, they say we’re in a banana republic. I think that’s an insult to Banana Republics across the country. At least the manager of Banana Republic, unlike our president, knows where he is, and why he’s there and what he’s doing.”

Some mocked the Yale graduate, 26, for seemingly being unaware that a banana republic refers to as an unstable country sustained by a single natural resource. It’s often derogatory and used to describe Central American countries with a dictator.

The term is traced back to the late Greensboro-born author, O. Henry, who first used it to characterize fictional countries he used in short stories, relating to his own experience in Honduras.

The Banana Republic Hines referred to is an upscale clothing store founded in 1978.

Hines, a Republican, and Sen. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat, will face off against one another in the general election to represent North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, a swing district that encompasses Johnston County and some of Wake, Harnett and Wayne counties.

Nickel tweeted, “Sadly, this is not the Onion,” about a news article reporting on the statement Monday.

Rob Burgess, senior advisor to Hines, said in a text message to The News & Observer that Nickel is grasping at straws after being unable to prove himself as a relevant candidate.

“This is a stretch for any serious candidate to try and make an issue,” Burgess said. “It’s clear now that the American people can add ‘understand a joke’ to the ever growing list of things Democrats simply can’t comprehend; alongside the economy, public safety, education, and foreign policy...just to name a few.”

Defund the FBI?

“Bo Hines is totally unqualified to serve in the United States Congress,” Nickel said in a text message to The News & Observer. “The part where he’s calling to defund the FBI is a slap in the face to every hard working law enforcement official in the country.”

Hines sent a statement to The N&O on Tuesday saying recent actions by the Biden administration makes it clear that the FBI and IRS are being politically weaponized.

“I fully support the men and women within these agencies that work tirelessly in good faith to keep our communities safe, but I do not support the political hacks that use these agencies as vessels to go after the American people,” Hines said. “Those individuals acting in bad faith should be investigated and promptly removed from their positions.”

Hines’ comments came just days after an armed man tried to break into an FBI field office in Cincinnati, Ohio.

ABC News first reported that Homeland Security and the Department of Justice warned Friday about an increase in threats and violent actions against law enforcement, judges and government officials following the search. The news outlet said statements by lawmakers about a stolen election and “the deep state’s” attempt to undermine Trump added to the threats.

Those statements have been echoed by Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte, who has been making the rounds on conservative television.

Following the search at Mar-a-Lago, Bishop tweeted, “Republicans must smash the FBI into a million pieces.”

He called the Justice Department “politicized, corrupt and out of control” on Newsmax and said he was in favor of “tearing the FBI down to its roots.”

Sunday night on The Gorka Reality Check, Bishop said “the deep state” is recognizing Trump is a threat and will do anything to stop him.

“And we have to be aware of that in Congress when we get a majority from the American people; they will expect that we will do oversight in a way that just as the Justice Department is engaging in acts that are unprecedented, we need to use Congress’ oversight power in ways that are unprecedented,” Bishop said. “It needs to be creative. It needs to be relentless It needs to be fast.“

Bishop told another reporter on Newsmax that his constituents believe former President Barack Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder are actually running the country and behind what happened at Mar-a-Lago.

“This is a frightening way to operate law enforcement,” Bishop said.

“You see this in a banana republic, not in the United States of America.”

For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at https://campsite.bio/underthedome or wherever you get your podcasts.