Confronted with video of a Republican congressional candidate calling children “c-m trophies,” House Speaker Mike Johnson threw his support behind the would-be rep as someone he said could “save America.”
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, Jake Tapper showed Johnson footage of Texas 23rd District candidate Brandon Herrera.
In a resurfaced 2022 video, Herrera tore into a gun-safety advocate with crass language about her children, saying: “Just because you let somebody cream pie you doesn’t mean I have to give a s--t about your political opinions. The fact that you have your c-m trophy doesn’t make you any less wrong about the dumb s--t you say.”
Herrera, 30, is known online as “The AK Guy” to his more than 4 million YouTube subscribers.
Herrera’s vile commentary has come under increasing scrutiny ahead of November’s midterm elections, when he will go toe to toe against Democratic candidate Katy Padilla Stout for the seat vacated by Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales. Gonzales resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations.
“He’s also in a video testing a Nazi-era sub machine gun he called it, the quote, ‘original ghetto blaster,’” Tapper told Johnson, before outlining an incident of Herrera goose stepping to a Nazi marching song and pointing out he once joked that “we should abolish old people.”
“I know you’re not a voter in this district, you didn’t nominate this guy, but I was surprised to see you endorse him and fundraise for him,” Tapper added, before asking Johnson: “What is his candidacy saying about the Republican Party’s more extreme candidates?”
Johnson immediately disavowed Herrera’s comments, calling it “detestable language,” but nonetheless dismissing Herrera’s past as an “online persona.”
“He has apologized for all that. He was a podcaster and a provocateur and he tried to get attention... Now he’s running as a very serious candidate for Congress, and a very thoughtful guy,” Johnson claimed.
Johnson said he took some time at last week’s poorly-attended Republican convention in Dallas to speak to Herrera.
“I said listen, Brandon, when you get to Congress, and he will be there, you’re gonna join this team and help us save America, preserve freedom and bring down costs for the American people,” he said.
With just a four-seat majority in the House and a president with tanking approval ratings, Herrera’s district is a must-win seat for the Republicans.
Johnson told Tapper he was all in on Herrera, describing him as “far superior to the candidate he’s running against. I’m telling you, this is a contrast election between common sense and crazy.”
In August, the Democratic National Committee added the Texas 23rd to their targeted seats, indicating the party thinks candidate Katy Padilla Stout, a San Antonio attorney and former teacher, can win it.
In his response to Tapper, Johnson linked the race in the 23rd to Republican boogeyman ‘socialism’ and began listing policies from the Democratic Socialists of America’s party platform.
“Compare that agenda with some crazy things that some people have said in the past, I think the choice here is very simple,” he said.
Padilla Stout is not affiliated with the DSA, but this is not the first time Johnson has implied she supports their platform.
