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Updated: 'Red Pill' creator Fisher resigns from NH House after committee recommends no action

Laconia Republican says he feared for his safety and safety of girlfriend, family

Updated: 'Red Pill' creator Fisher resigns from NH House after committee recommends no action

Laconia Republican says he feared for his safety and safety of girlfriend, family

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WEBVTT SAYING HE RESIGNED INPART BECAUSE HE FEARED FOR HISSAFETY, THE SAFETY OF HISGIRLFRIEND, AND HIS FAMILY.>> SHAME.SHAME.SHAME.REPORTER: A RAUCOUS HOUSECOMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY,LEGISLATORS WEIGHING WHETHER TORECOMMEND DISCIPLINARY ACTIONAGAINST REPRESENTATIVES ROBERTFISHER, ACCUSED OF WRITINGMISOGYNISTIC COMMENTS ON AWEBSITE, INCLUDING SOME ABOUTRAPE, AND SHERRY FROST, WHOSPARKED HER OWN CONTROVERSYAFTER A SERIES OF PROFANITYLACED TWEETS.THE DECISION TO TREAT THEACTIONS OF BOTH LAWMAKERS THESAME TO AN UPROAR -- LED TO ANUPROAR.>> THEY ARE LETTING MEN WALK ALLOVER WOMEN LIKE THEY ARENOTHING.REPORTER: THE EXCHANGE AMONGCOMMITTEE MEMBERS TENSE AND LOUDBUT THE VOTE WAS 8-6 ALONG PARTYLINES TO RECOMMEND NO ACTIONAGAINST EITHER LAW MAKER.BUT RIGHT AFTER, ROBERT FISHERTENDERED HIS RESIGNATION TOSPEAKER SHAWN JASPER'S OFFICE.>> THANKFUL TO REPRESENTATIVEFISHER FOR DOING THE RIGHTTHING.I WISH HE WOULD HAVE DONE THAT AFEW WEEKS AGO.REPORTER: FISHER DECLINED AREQUEST FOR AN ON CAMERAINTERVIEW BUT HIS STATEMENTS",UNFORTUNATELY THE FALSEHOODS,LIES, AND COMMENTS OF ANOVERZEALOUS BLOGGER AND SOME OFMY COLLEAGUES HAVE CREATED ASITUATION WHERE I MUST GENUINELYCONSIDER THE SAFETY ANDWELL-BEING OF MY GIRL AND, MYFAMILY -- GIRLFRIEND, MY FAMILY,AND MYSELF.HOUSE SPEAKER SHAWN JASPER TELLSNEWS 9 THEY WILL STILL GO
Updated: 'Red Pill' creator Fisher resigns from NH House after committee recommends no action

Laconia Republican says he feared for his safety and safety of girlfriend, family

State Rep. Robert Fisher, under fire for several weeks for his reported sexist posts on a so-called "men's rights" online forum, abruptly resigned from the New Hampshire House on Wednesday.

The two-term Laconia Republican told WMUR that he stepped down because he feared for his safety and the safety of his girlfriend and family in the wake of a firestorm created by the reports of his misogynistic posts.

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Fisher's resignation came about two hours after the House Legislative Administration Committee voted along party lines to recommend that no action be taken by the full House against him, or against Democratic lawmaker Sherry Frost of Dover for controversial tweets she posted earlier this year.

The committee's 8-6 vote sparked outrage and shouts of "Shame!" from most of those who packed a hearing room.

The resignation was also was an about-face from Fisher's earlier refusal to step down at the urging of House Speaker Shawn Jasper, Gov. Chris Sununu and state Republican Party Chair Jeanie Forrester.

Jasper told WMUR in a brief telephone interview that he learned of Fisher's decision at about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday. He said he had no idea prior to the committee meeting that Fisher would resign.

The speaker said in a statement: “Rep. Robert Fisher has informed the House Clerk of his resignation from the New Hampshire House, effective at noon today. It is unfortunate that the debate surrounding his actions while serving in the House have detracted from the good things that we have accomplished this session.

"I welcome his resignation for the good of the institution and I hope that we can now move forward with our important legislative agenda.”

Fisher later told WMUR in a statement: "Unfortunately, the falsehoods, lies and comments of an overzealous blogger and some of my colleagues have created a situation where I must genuinely consider the safety and well-being of my girlfriend, my family, and myself. It has been a pleasure to serve in this House with those members who have integrity."

"I'm happy that the House committee stood firm for free speech today. It is with a heavy heart that I will be unable to complete my term."

A House spokesman said the House will be asked to accept the resignation when it meets on Thursday.

House Majority Leader Richard Hinch, R-Merrimack, who chairs the committee, said he spoke with Fisher shortly after the committee meeting and “provided my professional counsel to him and helped him to arrive at his conclusion. I provided some insight and he accepted it.”

Fisher, the creator of the misogynistic website Red Pill, has denied that he hates women and said his post that "rape is not an absolute bad" was taken out of context in a comprehensive report on The Daily Beast website. But he has been the target of outrage for weeks, since the The Daily Beast report on the Red Pill forum was posted. A follow-up report only added to the controversy.

House Democratic Leader Steve Shurtleff welcomed the resignation and said he will no longer go forward with his earlier intention to ask the attorney general's office to review whether Fisher committed perjury when he told the committee under oath last week that he was no longer involved in the Red Pill forum.

“I think there was a cause and effect between my intention to go to the attorney general to ask them to look into possible perjury and him resigning,” Shurtleff said.

Earlier Wednesday, onlookers -- mostly women but also some men -- shouted "Shame! Shame!" after the committee voted to recommend that the full House take no action against Fisher and Frost. The chants were directed at the committee's refusal to act against Fisher and at the committee decision not to hold separate votes on each of them.

Fisher acknowledged making degrading posts toward women on the Red Pill forum years ago, but he insisted that they were taken out of context by The Daily Beast, and he swore under oath at a hearing last week that he was no longer involved.

But Wednesday, evidence was brought to the committee by one of its members, Rep. Timothy Smith, D-Manchester, strongly suggesting that Fisher was still making misogynistic posts under a new username as recently as two weeks ago.

Frost was included in the committee’s review because of controversial tweets using expletives; charging that white men have perpetrated more terrorism “in the name of Christianity” than Muslims; and saying that tweets by Republicans were making her “homicidal.” Her defenders insisted that it was a "false equivalency" to include her in a review on par with Fisher.

Neither Fisher nor Frost attended the Wednesday committee meeting.

The House voted two weeks ago to have the committee review the two matters in separate hearings, which were held last week.

Wednesday, however, Hinch sparked outrage by refusing to allow separate votes and separate committee reports on the separate Fisher and Frost matters.

The motion to take no action on either of them passed on an 8-6 party line vote, offered by Republican Deputy Speaker Sherman Packard, with only Republicans voting in favor and only Democrats voting against.

Packard's motion stated that because there is no provision in House rules that “specifically provides for a code of conduct for the membership that holds them to a higher standard than others in society,” the committee could not recommend discipline for either lawmaker.

The panel chose to recommend no action rather than reprimands, censure or expulsion.

Hinch said after the meeting that a subcommittee will be set up to formulate a code of conduct for House members.

Hinch explained that the House had instructed the committee to limit its review to comments made by the lawmakers during the current legislative session, and he said there was no evidence that Fisher had made any degrading remarks in that time frame.

But Smith, a self-described information technology expert, spoke in detail linking Fisher’s past posts under an old username to recent posts under a new one. He said he spent 20 hours researching a possible connection between the old and new usernames and found that they were linked to Fisher's personal emails account.

Smith said he emailed 370 pages of details on his research to the committee members.

Hinch said he did not open the attachment to Smith's email because he feared it would contain a virus.

The committee chairman said he had no choice but to take Fisher at his word as an elected lawmaker that he did not make any disparaging posts about women this year.

But Shurtleff said the evidence brought up by Smith was enough to convince him that Fisher had committed perjury, and he said immediately after the meeting that he would write a letter to the attorney general's office asking for a review of whether Fisher committed perjury.

After Fisher submitted his resignation, however, Shurtleff told WMUR that he will not go forward with the letter.

He said Fisher’s comments “bordered on criminality. They were vile and were a discredit to the House. Obviously, it’s good that he resigned.”

Rep. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, a leading voice on the issue of how women are treated in the House and in society in general, said she was “devastated" by the vote.

After the resignation, she tweeted: "Rep. Fisher resigned, the @NHGOP ready to give him a free pass. #rapeculture"

Packard and Hinch said they found the posts by Fisher “reprehensible,” but said the committee was restricted by a lack of a conduct code and could take no action.

After the Fisher resignation, Hinch said the committee will go forward and issue its report in the coming days with full House action scheduled for June 1. He said he will amend the report to reflect the resignation.

Earlier, Hinch also sparked strong objections from Democrats on the committee when he refused to allow a minority report to be issued to the full House by those who voted against the recommendation that no action be taken.