Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl spoke at the 5th Congressional District ALGOP meeting in Madison earlier this week to lay out his goals for the party for the upcoming year. 

He also directly challenged what he called the bias of the mainstream media — specifically targeting a recent AL.com column that alleged Wahl did not possess an Alabama driver’s license.

The article was a hot topic at Tuesday night’s meeting, where local party members discussed what they saw as yet “another example of biased media” targeting conservative leaders. The article implies that Wahl is currently using an out-of-state ID — an assertion Wahl easily refuted in front of the room.

“These hit pieces are absolute rubbish,” Wahl told the crowd. “There are a lot of false and misleading things in these AL.com articles. Kyle Whitmire is an extremely liberal writer and will say anything to further his agenda.”

A member jokingly asked if Wahl had an Alabama ID. Wahl laughed and responded, “I sure do — and I want you to see it,” pulling out his Alabama driver’s license and showing it to the room, which earned plenty of laughter and applause. 

Wahl said its important to stand firm in conservative values — regardless of criticism from the left.

“These liberal reporters hate what the Republican Party stands for,” he said.

“They hate that we support Donald Trump, and they hate that I’ve been standing up for protecting children in our libraries. The bottom line is they hate me because they know I won’t back down and I won’t surrender.”

The chairman also reiterated his commitment to pushing back against what he described as “wokeness” in public institutions, especially in schools and libraries.

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“I really think we are in a battle for the heart and soul of this country. A battle between light and darkness,” He said. “We got a four-year reprieve with the election of Donald Trump, but the liberals are madder than ever and will be fighting back.”

Wahl also addressed the ongoing debate over controversial books in public libraries, joking, “I thought the Governor liked me until she appointed me to the state library board.”

He praised the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) for recently passing a new definition of sexually explicit content and vowed to continue efforts to move inappropriate material out of children’s sections.

“It’s time we got this trash out of our children’s sections and put parents back in control of what their children have access to,” he said.

Wahl closed by thanking local party members for their dedication and calling on them to continue fighting for conservative values. “If we are going to save this country, it’s going to take freedom fighters like you,” he said. “Thank you for being part of the Alabama GOP and standing for Alabama values.”