This January, in a committee room of the New Hampshire legislature, Republican state Rep. Matt Sabourin dit Choinière teamed with Germar Rudolf, a longtime German Holocaust denier, to propose that the state’s public schools incorporate a conspiracy theory — that the Nazis’ murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust was a hoax — when developing lesson plans.
Their effort failed, but the incident is a recent example of antisemitic extremism pushing into the American political mainstream. Prominent conservative voices have warned of a “cancer” spreading inside the pro‑Trump MAGA movement, and Sabourin dit Choinière appears to have faced minimal consequences or backlash from New Hampshire GOP leadership. The proposal has not been widely reported until now.
“It’s extremely concerning,” said Deborah Lipstadt, an Emory University expert on Holocaust denial who served as the Biden administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. NPR’s investigation tracked down the key players, dug into their histories and uncovered a criminal case involving Rudolf and a bottle of baby oil. Four main takeaways:
An attempt to hijack Holocaust education exposed a pattern of antisemitism
The New Hampshire Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education helps set standards and connect schools with resources. On Jan. 14, Democratic state Rep. Loren Selig, a commission member, introduced a bill extending the commission’s term. Moments after Selig spoke, Sabourin dit Choinière proposed an amendment to add a new member to the commission from an extremist group led by Germar Rudolf — whose Holocaust denial claims have been repeatedly debunked and who contends, despite overwhelming evidence, that the Nazis never used gas chambers to commit mass murder.
At Sabourin dit Choinière’s invitation, Rudolf testified at the hearing along with two other men known for antisemitic activism. Selig, who is Jewish, said she was “shocked” and could “barely speak.” The amendment drew no support but was nevertheless hailed by Holocaust deniers as a “breakthrough.”
Sabourin dit Choinière, elected in 2024 and linked to New Hampshire’s libertarian Free State movement, declined interview requests and later told NPR by email he stood by his proposal, saying “my position is not hatred.” On April 14, Holocaust Remembrance Day, he posted a photo of himself presenting the amendment with the caption “ahead of our time.”
A Holocaust denier, an international criminal record and a suspicious bottle of baby oil
Rudolf has a criminal record in Germany, where Holocaust denial is illegal, and in the U.S. In 2020, he was convicted in Pennsylvania of open lewdness and indecent exposure after a police officer found him naked from the waist down at a children’s playground around 4 a.m. Trial testimony showed local police were familiar with Rudolf because they had previously seen him swimming nude in a nearby river. Rudolf told officers he had been exercising in “skimpy” shorts and said a bottle of baby oil he carried was his “go‑to lotion” for dry skin. A jury rejected those explanations; Rudolf was found guilty, lost an appeal and was sentenced to probation. In 2022 he pleaded guilty to trespassing on school grounds and disorderly conduct.
Rudolf became a U.S. lawful permanent resident in part through marriage to an American woman; the marriage ended in divorce. His criminal history could complicate his immigration status.
New Hampshire Republicans respond — after NPR inquiries
Sabourin dit Choinière has touted endorsements and high marks from conservative groups such as Turning Point Action and the state chapters of National Right to Life and Americans for Prosperity. After NPR contacted organizations and elected officials, responses arrived: Americans for Prosperity–New Hampshire said it unequivocally opposes antisemitism and discrimination and noted the endorsement cited was from a prior cycle. Turning Point Action and New Hampshire Right to Life did not respond.
Republican Rep. Brian Cole, a congressional candidate who had said he was “honored” to receive Sabourin dit Choinière’s endorsement, told NPR he was unaware of his colleague’s support for Holocaust denial and rescinded the endorsement. New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said, “There is no place for antisemitism or hate of any kind in New Hampshire, and criminal Holocaust deniers have no business serving on state commissions.”
A growing “cancer” on the MAGA movement
The incident in New Hampshire comes amid wider concern about antisemitism on the political right. Far‑right commentators known for antisemitic diatribes have grown in popularity, and survey data have suggested antisemitic attitudes are particularly acute among some young conservatives. NPR reporting has found links between multiple Trump administration officials and antisemitic extremists or conspiracies.
Some pro‑Trump conservatives have sounded alarms. “I have seen more antisemitism in the last 18 months on the right than at any point in my lifetime,” Sen. Ted Cruz told the Republican Jewish Coalition. Dan Bongino has described antisemitism as a “cancer” on the MAGA movement and criticized those in the movement who consider hostility toward Jews “edgy or cool.”
The New Hampshire episode underscores how Holocaust denial activists can seek to insert themselves into official educational structures and how quickly extremist voices can be amplified when invited into legislative spaces. The failed amendment drew no legislative support, but it exposed fault lines and prompted public rebukes only after media inquiries — raising questions about how such efforts are policed and how political movements confront internal antisemitism.