Republican's 'repugnant' assassination joke condemned by left and right — except MAGA
A Republican member of Congress spurred outrage Wednesday with a political assassination joke broadly condemned by people who include a onetime co-defendant of former President Donald Trump and a Democratic strategist. It also garnered applause from MAGA right pundits.
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) appeared to be riffing on presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s newly reported statement that a worm ate part of his brain and died.
"You either die a Kennedy with a hole in the brain," Collins wrote, "or live long enough to become a Kennedy with a hole in the brain."
Collins made this statement about one month before the 56th anniversary of the assassination of the candidate's father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who was fatally shot on the presidential campaign trail on June 5, 1968. He died of a severe brain injury the next day.
His brother President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot on Nov. 22, 1963 as he rode in a motorcade through downtown Dallas. He was struck in the neck and head.
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On Wednesday, Collins' comment quickly made the rounds on social media where a slew of people in the political realm shared their disgust with the Georgia lawmaker.
Among them was Jenna Ellis, the former Trump attorney who accepted a plea deal in his Georgia election racketeering case last year.
"No," Ellis wrote. "Just….. no."
Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko took a lighter tone that included an unspoken jab at the 70-year-old Kennedy Jr., currently running as an independent against Trump and President Joe Biden.
"Way to ruin the fun," he replied.
CEO Robert J. Salvador suggested Collins backtrack on the statement, arguing it was not fitting from a member of the House of Representatives.
"Yea you should prob delete this one," he wrote. "You’re an elected official and it’s a disgusting comment."
Several journalists joined in to share their surprise and ire, among them Huffington Post political reporter Jennifer Bendery, On Democracy podcaster Fred Wellman and John Harwood, former journalist for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
"Holy s---, congressman," replied Bendery.
"This jack--- is working hard to be the biggest POS in Congress," wrote Wellman.
"Repugnant," said Harwood.
But Collins also earned approbation from far-right commenters such as pro-Trump activist Laura Loomer and podcaster Joey Mannarino.
"Whoever is doing your tweets deserves the biggest raise," Mannarino said.
"We need to strip @SpeakerJohnson of the nickname 'MAGA MIKE' and give it to Mike Collins @RepMikeCollins instead," added Loomer. "B---SY AF!!"