House of Representatives Majority Leader Mike Johnson was confronted with the obscenely racist and misogynistic comments of Texas Republican candidate Brandon Herrera – and Johnson dismissed those words, backing Herrera.
Johnson was being interviewed by CNN’s Jake Tapper for his State of The Union program on Sunday (September 14), and Tapper leapt right into questioning Johnson about Herrera’s past comments.
“You have endorsed him. You have fund-raised him for him,” Tapper said of Johnson’s backing of Herrera before sharing footage of his comments from three years ago disrespecting mothers. “The fact that you kept your cum trophy doesn’t make you any less wrong about the dumb s— that you say,” Herrera is heard saying.
The 28-year-old streamer, who gained popularity online as “The AK Guy”, also called a Nazi-era submachine gun as “the original ghetto blaster” in another video, and was seen joking while goose-stepping to a Nazi marching song in a podcast video from two years ago. He also referred to
Johnson’s response? Tepid. “That’s, look, detestable language. You know how I feel about all of that, Jake,” he began. ““But I also know Brandon Herrera has been out running a very effective campaign and explaining to people that he has apologized for all that. He was a podcaster and a provocateur and tried to get attention.”
“I’m telling you, this is a contrast election between common sense and crazy,” Johnson added. “Brandon Herrera will join the commonsense team of Republicans, making life better for Americans, while the DSA candidates that you referenced, the Democrats Socialists of America, have said what they want to do.”
When confronted with a video made by a Democratic political action committee featuring his goose-stepping back in March, Herrera was unrepentant. “I standby it, this shit was funny as hell,” he replied in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Herrera is running to fill the seat in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District left vacant by former GOP congressman Tony Gonzales, who resigned in April after admitting to having an affair with a staff member.
Herrera also ran afoul of his Democratic opponent, Katy Padilla Stout back in July after she claimed that she was recieving death threats after he shared her personal Instagram account with his campaign audience. “Welcome to the internet,” he wrote in response as he claimed her supporters sent death threats to him.
