‘It is All True’: GOP Rep Doubles Down After Wildly Racist Tweet Sparks Enormous Backlash

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) defended his deeply racist feedback about Haitian individuals regardless that Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) claimed the lawmaker had prayed in regards to the submit and regretted it.

“It’s all true,” Higgins advised CNN Wednesday, regardless that he finally deleted the broadly condemned tweet. “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.”

“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,” he added.

Earlier Wednesday, the lawmaker had expanded on the racist lies pushed by Republican nominee Donald Trump and his operating mate, JD Vance, posting on X (previously Twitter) that Haitians are “eating pets” and are available from the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere.”

“All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th,” he wrote within the submit.

The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), is pushing for the Home to censure Higgins over the submit. A number of Republicans additionally prompt the submit must be taken down.

“Look, he was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive,” Johnson advised reporters. “He said he went to the back, and he prayed about it and he regretted it, and he pulled the post down.”

“I’m sure he probably regrets some of the language he used. But you know, we move forward. We believe in redemption around here,” he added.

Higgins has a historical past of constructing inflammatory statements. This newest occasion attracted swift and livid backlash.

Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated it was “vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives.”

“Clay Higgins is an election-denying, conspiracy-peddling racial arsonist who is a disgrace to the People’s House,” Jeffries’ assertion stated.

Olivia Troye, who was an aide to Mike Pence when he was vice chairman, famous on X that Higgins serves on the Home Homeland Safety Committee, including, “This is a clear betrayal of his oath to protect Americans & a warning of what’s to come under a Trump presidency.”