Michael Peroutka Running for Attorney General

Extremist former Presidential Candidate Second Republican to File

Former Anne Arundel County Councilman Michael Peroutka filed to run for Attorney General on Monday

Peroutka served one term on the Anne Arundel County Council from 2014-2018. He won a narrow win in a five-way Republican primary back in 2014, only to nearly lose the race to the Democratic nominee in the most Republican Council seat in the county. Peroutka was defeated in the Republican primary in 2018.

Peroutka, who told Conservatives during his 2014 run to drop dead, was also the Constitution Party nominee for President back in 2004.

Red Maryland covered Peroutka’s history of extremism in excruciating detail back in 2014, but here are some highlights:

Peroutka “theological mentor” is Rousas Rushdoony, is the founder of Christian Reconstructionism. Rushdoony’s writings and views are plastered all over the IOTC website.

As Warren Throckmorton points out, the IOTC website directs readers to this 1988 interview Rushdoony did with Bill Moyers. 

Here’s a transcript of the relevant portion.

Moyers: You’ve written that the Bible calls for the death penalty, and I’m just running down a variety of things as you can see. You’ve written that the Bible calls for the death penalty of some 15 crimes: rape, sodomy, adultery.
Rushdoony: Adultery because in the Bible the basic institution is the family. There’s no law of treason against the state. The Bible doesn’t even imagine anything remotely like that. But the basic institution is the family. And so, several of the death penalties are associated with the family and its life.
Moyers: So adultery was considered a theft of the family.
Rushdoony: It was, yes, it was treason to the family.
Moyers: Homosexuality.
Rushdoony: Yes, it was treason to the family.
Moyers: Worthy of the death sentence?
Rushdoony: What?
Moyers: Worthy of the death sentence?
Rushdoony: Yes.Moyers: Deserving of the death sentence?
Rushdoony: Yes, that’s what Paul says.
…
Moyers: But you would re-instate the death penalty for some of these or all of these Biblical crimes?
…Moyers: But you would re-instate the death penalty for some of these or all of these Biblical crimes?Rushdoony: I wouldn’t—
Moyers: But the reconstructive society–
Rushdoony: I’m saying that this is what God requires. I’m not saying that everything in the Bible, I like. Some of it rubs me the wrong way. But I’m simply saying, this is what God requires. This is what God says is justice. Therefore, I don’t feel I have a choice.
Moyers: And the agents of God would carry out the laws.
Rushdoony: The civil government would, on these things.
Moyers: So you would have a civil government, based upon–
Rushdoony: Oh yes. I’m not an anarchist. I’m close to being a libertarian. But–
Moyers: But the civil law would be based on the biblical law. And so you’d have a civil government carrying out a religious mandate.
Rushdoony: Oh yes.

The father of Lofton and Peroutka’s core philosophy believes in a civil government who’s first duty is to carry out a religious mandate to do what God requires as written in the Old Testament, including executions for adulterers and homosexuals.

Peroutka’s and his Institute on the Constitution also has had ties with the secessionist, white nationalist League of the South.  Peroutka was either appointedor elected to the League of the South’s Board of Directors in 2013.  A Google search does return a dead link titled“League of the South Board of Directors: Michael Peroutka”

However, here is video of Peroutka speaking at the League of the South’s annual convention, thanking its president Michael Hill and board members for his appointment/election and pledging the resources of the IOTC and the Peroutka family to the League of the South.

On its FAQ page The League of the South says in part that its mission is “to advance the cultural, social, economic, and political well-being and independence of the Southern people by all honourable means,” through legal secession.   The League also seeks to protect the “Anglo-Celtic core population and culture of the South”

Should that not be enough to convince you of what the League of the South stands for, here is League president Michael Hill in his own words:

The survival, well being, and independence of the Southern people. And by “the Southern people,” we mean White Southerners who are not afraid to stand for the people of their race and region. In other words, we understand what it is to be an historic “nation”–a specific people with a unique culture living on a particular piece of land. And, God willing, we shall one day have a name and place among the nations of the earth.”   

In 2020, Peroutka argued that Governor Larry Hogan “effectively removed himself” from office during the initial days of COVID, as reported by Len Lazarick:

Michael Peroutka, the founder of the Institute on the Constitution and a former member of the Anne Arundel County Council, led the crowd twice in a mantra on their rights.

“There is a God … Our rights come from God … The purpose of civil government is to protect God-given rights.”

Reading numerous provisions of the Declaration of Rights that begins the Maryland state constitution, Peroutka maintained that Gov. Larry Hogan had violated the constitution and effectively removed himself as governor.

The absolute last thing Republicans in Maryland need is to have a radical extremist like Peroutka on the statewide ballot. His view of the law and his view on the role of government have nothing to do at all with small government or conservatism and are in line with some of the more fascistic elements of the post-Trump so called “New Right.”

Having Peroutka as the Attorney General nominee would be handing Democrats a bludgeon to beat Republican candidates across the head with. It is not at all productive and Republicans should do everything they can to make sure that he is not the nominee.