GOP Rep. Gonzales didn’t mince his words
During an appearance on Sunday night’s CNN State of the Union, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) launched into a vitriolic outburst against fellow members of the GOP, calling them “real scumbags.” The outburst was so vitriolic, host Dana Bash was left visibly shocked, and forced to step in to correct claims made by the Representative for Texas.
“It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags,” Gonzales said.
“Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) endorsed my opponent [Brandon Herrera], a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around in white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
“Wow, OK,” was Bash’s response. She then reminded viewers that no charges were pursued by federal authorities against Gaetz.
The rant was prompted by the controversy about the new Ukraine bill, which passed on Saturday, and Speaker Johnson’s role in its passing. Gonzales said he was “tired” and that he believes debate about the Speaker is preventing Republicans from governing effectively. He believes Mike Johnson “is going to be just fine.”
Rep. Gonzales is not known for such forceful speech. The Daily Beast describes him as a “steadfast repeater of Republican talking points since he joined Congress in 2021.”
Matt Gaetz was quick to respond on Twitter, accusing “occasionally-Republican” Gonzales of “laundering lies on CNN” because he’s “down in the polls” against his opponent in the Republican primary, Brandon Herrera. Gaetz urged voters to “Vote in the May 28 runoff for Brandon Herrera!”
Herrera himself went even further, labelling Gonzales a “failure of a congressman.”
“This is the death spiral ladies and gentlemen. He has to cry to his liberal friends about me, because Republicans won’t listen any more.”
