Love is love — as long as you’re a Democrat.
Jon Cooper, chairman of the Democratic Coalition, is spreading a homophobic conspiracy theory about Senator Lindsey Graham being blackmailed by Russia for his sexuality.
Cooper, who is openly gay himself, tweeted the bizarre claim that a “Republican just told me that he doubts @LindseyGrahamSC is kowtowing to Trump (and indirectly Putin) because he’s being blackmailed over his sexual orientation (an open secret) or even financial corruption. Rather, he thinks it probably involves some pretty serious sexual kink.”
The tweet gained over 16,000 likes and nearly 6,000 retweets.
A Republican just told me that he doubts @LindseyGrahamSC is kowtowing to Trump (and indirectly Putin) because he’s being blackmailed over his sexual orientation (an open secret) or even financial corruption. Rather, he thinks it probably involves some pretty serious sexual kink.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) January 13, 2019
He went on to claim, without any basis, that “there’s a strong likelihood that he’s being blackmailed by the Russians.”
By the way, as an openly gay man myself, I couldn’t care less about Lindsey Graham's sex life (gay, straight or otherwise). However, Graham is the Senate Judiciary Chair and there’s a strong likelihood that he's being blackmailed by the Russians. If so, that needs to be revealed.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) January 14, 2019
Though the tweets gained thousands of “likes,” they also received much criticism — even from the left.
“This tweet seems far out of the bounds of good taste, even if true,” a Democrat named Elaina O’Keefe responded. “As a leader of the resistance movement you should be using (and having no trouble finding) issues of more substance with which to arm yourself and your followers.”
Another “Resistance” account replied, “I don’t like @LindseyGrahamSC or his politics and I could care less about his sexual orientation. However, I also don’t believe in making all these wild accusations. We need the facts and facts are the only thing on which he should be judged. Otherwise we’re just like them.”
I don't like @LindseyGrahamSC or his politics and I could care less about his sexual orientation. However, I also don't believe in making all these wild accusations. We need the facts and facts are the only thing on which he should be judged. Otherwise we're just like them.
— jomac 🌻☮️😸🌊🟧 NO DMs (@jomac23532643) January 13, 2019
The vague conspiracy claim lead to many of his followers peddling the idea — without any evidence or basis — that Graham abuses children. Many of the tweets making the assertion garnered hundreds of likes and approving responses.
https://twitter.com/BarbResist/status/1084495009884372992
I care. I would hate it if some little kid was suffering at the hands of an adult wondering if help was ever going to come.
— rhondaklewis (@rhondaklewis) January 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/HardcoreLeft/status/1084503412308234240
Two words: teenage boys.
— Dan Conners (@philsfan34) January 14, 2019
Keep it classy, Democrats.
