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 The squabble on Thursday among fellow Republicans in the most
populous U.S. state comes in a race where Democratic Governor Jerry
Brown has shown a commanding lead in opinion polls.
Earlier this week, a post on Republican candidate Tim Donnelly's
Facebook page took aim at another Republican gubernatorial
candidate, Neel Kashkari, for participating in a 2008 seminar titled
"Islamic Finance 101" while he was a U.S. Treasury official.
"Given the recent stories and protests about the outrage of the
discriminatory nature of Sharia law, we're horrified that Kashkari
would support Sharia anything," the post said.
Donnelly's Facebook post came amid protests by Hollywood celebrities
against the Beverly Hills Hotel over the government of Brunei's
ownership of the landmark and the small country's enactment of
Sharia law.
 Issa, who previously endorsed Kashkari and is chairman of the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, joined the fray on
Thursday in a strongly worded statement.
"There is no place in any public discussion for this type of hateful
and ignorant garbage," said Issa, who is of Lebanese Christian
descent. Kashkari is of the Hindu faith.
"As far as I'm concerned, this type of stupidity disqualifies Tim
Donnelly from being fit to hold any office, anywhere. Donnelly is no
longer a viable option for California voters," he said.
Donnelly, in a phone interview, called Issa's attack "overkill" and
said the controversy was overblown.
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"This whole thing has been a massive distraction from the real
issues facing California," said Donnelly, a California assemblyman.
"Obviously it struck a nerve with people and it's unfortunate that
it has been so widely misinterpreted and people of Mr. Issa's
stature are reacting to something that I don't believe he ever
read," he said.
Donnelly is leading Kashkari in opinion polls, but both candidates
are trailing badly against Brown. A Field Poll released last month
said 57 percent of likely voters were inclined to vote for Brown in
the June all-candidates primary.
Kashkari spokeswoman Jessica Hsiang Ng said in an email that the
conference on Islamic finance the candidate participated in while at
the U.S. Department of Treasury was designed to bring free market
principles to Islamic countries.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Ken
Wills)
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