Christian veteran who toppled satanic statue in Iowa Capitol raises $20K in hours for legal fees
Updated at 12:40 p.m. ET on Dec. 15: Cassidy announced Friday morning that he was reopening his legal defense fund after being informed that an investigation had been opened into his alleged vandalism.
Original report:
The Christian veteran who destroyed a satanic statue in the Iowa state Capitol was inundated with $20,000 in donations for his legal fees in less than three hours on Thursday.
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Michael Cassidy, 35, a former Navy officer who ran for Congress in Mississippi, faces a fourth-degree mischief charge for toppling a display erected by The Satanic Temple Iowa that depicted a silver ram’s head on a red-caped mannequin holding an inverted pentagram wreath.
The figure was surrounded by candles and flowers and stood in front of an altar extolling the seven "Fundamental Tenets" of The Satanic Temple.
Read: Satanic display in Iowa state Capitol stirs debate
BREAKING: @RepubSentinel can reveal that Michael Cassidy, a Christian and former military officer, tore down and beheaded the Satan altar in the Iowa Capitol:https://t.co/rIYIdZOzeepic.twitter.com/tZDsmKM5Pm
— The Sentinel (@RepubSentinel) December 14, 2023
Following a week of fierce debate online and between state legislators regarding the propriety and legality of the statue, Cassidy pushed it over and tossed the silver ram's head in the garbage before turning himself into officers, as first reported by the Republic Sentinel.
After Cassidy's actions went viral on X, the Sentinel set up a legal defense fund for him on GiveSendGo, which shut down within hours after meeting its $20,000 goal.
"Truly humbled by y’alls support," Cassidy tweeted. "We raised the $20k we were looking for in just a couple hours. I directed the campaign to be paused - we have enough for now."
Truly humbled by y’alls support. We raised the k we were looking for in just a couple hours. I directed the campaign to be paused - we have enough for now.
— Michael Cassidy for MS ???????? (@VoteCassidy) December 15, 2023
Special thanks to @RepubSentinel, @BenZeisloft, @DavisYounts, @JackPosobiec, @MattWalshBlog, & @charliekirk11
Cassidy drew widespread support on X for what he did, including from conservative figures such as Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, who donated $1,000 to his legal defense fund, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, whose organization put up $10,000.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also said Friday morning he would pledge money to Cassidy's legal defense, though by that time the GiveSendGo had been suspended.
"Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a 'religion' by the federal government," DeSantis tweeted. "I'll chip in to contribute to this veteran's legal defense fund. Good prevails over evil — that's the American spirit."
In 2019, the IRS gave The Satanic Temple tax-exempt staus making it comparable to a church.
Cassidy is being represented by attorney Davis Younts, who told the Sentinel that his client took action against the display because he "was motivated by his faith to peacefully protest a display that is a direct affront to God" after elected leaders and others were "unwilling to act."
“It is my hope that the citation will be dismissed when my client’s actions are understood and that he will not face prosecution because of his faith," he said.
Cassidy explained to the Sentinel that his actions emerged from a desire to “awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government.”
“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” he said.
“Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water," he added.
In the days leading up to the statue's destruction, Christian state lawmakers debated whether it should be allowed on state property.
Republican state Rep. Jon Dunwell posted a viral thread on X last weekend explaining that while he personally finds the altar "objectionable," he does not believe it's the government's job to dictate which religion can be represented in the Capitol.
"For me, I would rather have an evil, blasphemous display or no display at all than have the state dictate what they think is appropriate," Dunwell told The Christian Post in an interview.
Republican state Rep. Brad Sherman, by contrast, argued in a newsletter last week that the statue was in direct contradiction to the 1857 Iowa Constitution, which set the state apart unto God, acknowledged its dependence on Him, and asked for His blessing. Any legal argument that would equate worship of Satan and God was therefore "twisted and tortured," he said.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
