Joe Wilson gifts ‘chip of the Berlin Wall’ to GOP lawmakers in bid for top committee spot
Rep. Joe Wilson, a senior GOP lawmaker, is taking a unique approach to his campaign to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee next year. Wilson is gifting his fellow lawmakers with chips from the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the collapse of totalitarian communism and the success of democratic capitalism. The chips were obtained by Wilson himself nearly 35 years ago at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.
The inscription accompanying the chip highlights Wilson’s extensive foreign affairs work, stating that the chip was secured by State Senator Joe Wilson on June 12, 1990. It also mentions Wilson’s service as a member of the U.S. Observation Delegation during Bulgaria’s first free elections after years of Nazi and Communist dictatorship.
The race for the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairmanship is crucial as Republicans are poised to control all the main levers of power in Washington, D.C. next year. Wilson is running against Reps. Ann Wagner, Darrell Issa, and Brian Mast for the position. Wilson currently chairs the subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
Current Chairman Michael McCaul is stepping aside in accordance with House Republicans’ internal conference rules. In a message to colleagues, McCaul expressed his intention to support new leadership in adherence to the rules limiting a lawmaker to serve no more than three terms as a committee chair.
Wilson’s office was reached out to for comment but has not responded yet. As the competition for the House Foreign Affairs Committee gavel heats up, Wilson’s creative campaign strategy is certainly making waves. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this critical leadership race.
