Members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) went on an all-expense paid trip to Israel, courtesy of the American Family Association (AFA), a notorious Christian hate group that has made outrageous claims against gays, atheists, and other non-Christians.

According to a published itinerary, 60 members of the RNC left for Israel on January 31 and returned February 8 from the all-expense-paid nine-day trip.

Despite vigorous objections by many on both the left and the right, as well as some powerful and influential reporting by Rachel Maddow, the RNC went ahead with the controversial trip.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was supposed to have headed up the 60-member RNC delegation to Israel, but decided not to go after the negative publicity. Of course, the question remains: why did Priebus agree to the trip in the first place, and why did he not cancel the trip and put some distance between the GOP and the Christian hate group after all the negative publicity?

Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way, said:

“The hate of the American Family Association is rampant, from calling ‘Jewish atheists’ some of the ‘worst enemies of the country’ to claiming that gay people caused the Holocaust. We deserve to know why Republicans continue to stand with this hate group after years of offensive statements by their leaders. By failing to speak up against the AFA, Republican leaders are showing their acceptance of hateful rhetoric in their party.”

The trip to Israel was organized by David Lane, an influential Christian nationalist, and founder of the American Renewal Project, which has close ties to the AFA.

In the past Lane has compared support of same-sex marriage to support of slavery, denied that the U.S. Constitution calls for a separation between church and state, and declared that the U.S. is a “Christian nation.”

The following is a selection of offensive and ignorant quotes from Lane:

The separation of church and state is a “lie” and a “fabricated whopper” used to stop “Christian America – the moral majority – from imposing moral government on pagan public schools, pagan higher learning and pagan media.” [6/6/13] “We were established as a Christian nation, for the advancement of the Christian faith.” [1/30/15] “Vote to restore the Bible and prayer in public schools or be sent home. Hanging political scalps on the wall is the only love language politicians can hear.” [7/17/13] While “America was a Christian nation” since its founding, now it must choose between being “a Christian nation or a pagan nation.” [7/17/13] “Homosexuals praying at the Inauguration” of President Obama in 2013 will provoke God’s wrath in the form of “car bombs in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Des Moines, Iowa.” [7/23/13] Republicans who support marriage equality are like politicians who backed slavery in the run-up to the Civil War. [1/29/15]

Quotes from Bryan Fischer, former official spokesperson for the AFA:

“The Nazi Party, ladies and gentlemen, was formed in a gay bar. In other words, no homosexual thugs, no Nazi Party.” [6/9/11] Gay sex is “Domestic Terrorism. I Don’t Know What Else You’d Call It.”[9/15/10] Native Americans deserved to lose control of North America because “the superstition, savagery and sexual immorality” made them “morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil.” [2/8/11] All new immigrants must “convert to Christianity” or “stay home.” [4/8/11] Gay rights activists “are Nazis. Do not be under any illusions about what homosexual activists will do with your freedoms and your religion if they have the opportunity. They’ll do the same thing to you that the Nazis did to their opponents in Nazi Germany.” [5/18/11] Christians should convert Jews to Christianity, Jews and Christians “do not worship the same God.” [8/26/11] “The purpose of the First Amendment is to protect the free exercise of the Christian religion.” [9/29/11] “Political leadership ought to be … reserved for the hands of males” [10/15/12] People who believe in evolution are “disqualified from holding political office in the United States of America.” [1/2/14] “Being an active homosexual should disqualify you from public office…we’re going to have to choose between the gay agenda and Christianity. We can’t have both.” [1/8/15]

This weekend People For the American Way released a new ad calling out Republicans for standing with the Christian hate group. The ad calls on the RNC to stand against the AFA’s hateful rhetoric about Jewish Americans, LGBT individuals, atheists and other non-Christians.