Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty
A Republican congressman posted a racist rant against Haitians and deleted it, but doubled down on his stance leading many social media users to denounce him.
On Wednesday (September 25), Republican Congressman Clay Higgins made a post on X, formerly Twitter, attacking Haitian migrants in Ohio using the same false claims initiated by Senator JD Vance and former President Donald Trump but expanding on them, saying they were “eating pets” and calling them “thugs” and “slapstick gangsters” who come from the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere.” He ended the since-deleted post with an ominous threat, writing: “All these thugs better get their mind right and their a– out of our country before January 20th.”
The representative from Louisiana’s 3rd district was confronted by the Democratic Representative from Nevada, Steven Horsford, who also serves as the Congressional Black Caucus chairman on Capitol Hill. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Horsford shared how he introduced the motion to censure Higgins to the House of Representatives floor, which would ultimately be voted down by the Republican majority. “It is not about the next election. It is about everyday people in America feeling targeted. Today, it’s the Haitians. Who will it be tomorrow? Will it be you?”, Horsford said.
Horsford: I’m making a motion to censure Clay Higgins by violating rule 9 by bringing discredit and disgrace to the House of Representatives. pic.twitter.com/bcgJX9bp9F
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 25, 2024
Higgins, an avowed supporter of Trump, has made similarly offensive statements before and was dismissive of the outrage. “It’s all true,” Higgins said to CNN that evening. “I can put up another controversial post tomorrow if you want me to. I mean, we do have freedom of speech. I’ll say what I want,” adding: “It’s not a big deal to me. It’s like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and move on with my life.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York blasted Higgins for his remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Clay Higgins is an election-denying, conspiracy-peddling racial arsonist who is a disgrace to the People’s House,” he wrote in his statement.
My statement on Rep. Clay Higgins. pic.twitter.com/YPpdcgDSD9
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) September 25, 2024
The condemnation Higgins received online was swift, with many calling out his history of supporting the Ku Klux Klan. The former aide to Mike Pence, Olivia Troye, noted how dangerous he is as a member of the Homeland Security Committee. “This is a clear betrayal of his oath to protect Americans & a warning of what’s to come under a Trump presidency,” she wrote on X.
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