How a Republican state lawmaker tried to let Holocaust deniers hijack history lessons
In January 2026, New Hampshire Republican state Representative Matt Sabourin dit Choinière proposed an amendment to include a Holocaust denier on the state's Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission, which would have legitimized antisemitic conspiracy theories in public school curricula. The amendment, which failed, was supported by testimony from Germar Rudolf, a known Holocaust denier, and drew condemnation from experts and commission members. Despite the controversy, Sabourin dit Choinière faced no formal consequences and has maintained his position within the state legislature.
- ▪Republican state Representative Matt Sabourin dit Choinière proposed adding a Holocaust denier to New Hampshire's Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission.
- ▪The proposed addition was Germar Rudolf, a German extremist who denies the use of Nazi gas chambers and the murder of six million Jews.
- ▪Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt called the proposal extremely concerning, and commission member Loren Selig described feeling shocked and silenced during the hearing.
- ▪Sabourin dit Choinière's amendment received no support but was viewed as a symbolic victory by Holocaust denial activists.
- ▪No formal consequences were imposed on Sabourin dit Choinière by New Hampshire Republican leadership despite the incident's severity.
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Investigations How a Republican state lawmaker tried to let Holocaust deniers hijack history lessons April 29, 20265:00 AM ET Heard on All Things Considered Tom Dreisbach NH HOLOCAUST DENIAL Listen · 4:59 4:59 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5708847/nx-s1-9750274" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript AFP via Getty Images and U.S. National Archives/Collage by Emily Bogle This January, in a drab committee room of the New Hampshire state legislature, a Republican state lawmaker teamed up with a German Holocaust denier to propose that the state's public schools incorporate a conspiracy theory when developing their lesson plans: namely, that the Nazis'…
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