Ex-GOP Congressman Believes Sitting Reps Louis Gohmert and Paul Gosar Have ‘Serious Cognitive Issues’
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Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) wrote in his new book that he wondered whether his far-right ex-colleagues like Louis Gohmert (R-TX) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) have “serious cognitive issues.”
The Guardian obtained an early copy of The Breach, Riggleman’s new memoir where he reflects on his departure from Congress and his assistance to the January 6 Committee. While Riggleman’s decision to write a book has drawn disapproval from those on the committee, the book itself is partially focused on the Congressional Republicans who tried to help the Trump White House overturn the 2020 election results.
From the book, via The Guardian:
Describing text messages surrendered to the committee by Mark Meadows, Donald Trump’s last chief of staff, Riggleman shows that on 5 November 2020, two days after election day and with the result not called, Gohmert touted his experience as an attorney and tried to join the White House team working to overturn Joe Biden’s win.
“I’m in DC,” Gohmert wrote to Meadows. “Thinking I’ll head to Philadelphia to fuss. Would love to be there … at [White House] to be ear for discussions and advice if asked. Handled massive fraud case vs Texas biggest utility … so some legal experience. May I come over?”
Meadows asked Gohmert to go on TV instead.
In the book, Riggleman describes how he watched his GOP colleagues as they “fully bought into even the more unhinged conspiracy theories I had been seeing out on the campaign trail.” He remained particularly focused on how Gohmert, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, and other House Freedom Caucus members have kept on pushing conspiracy theories even after the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
Riggleman describes one meeting in which Gohmert “promoted a conspiracy theory related to master algorithms”, saying he “suspected there was a secret technology shadow-banning conservatives across all platforms”.
Riggleman writes that others “nodded along”, though “of course, that’s crazy”. He says he said “something to that effect” during the meeting in question.
In subsequent meetings, Riggleman “would come to see that Gohmert was one of a few colleagues who had gone deep down the rabbit hole.
On Gosar, Riggleman described the Arizona rep as “a blatant white supremacist” who “seemed to be joined at the brain stem [with Gohmert] when it came to their eagerness to believe wild, dramatic fantasies about Democrats, the media, and big tech.”
“I came to believe Gosar and Gohmert may have had serious cognitive issues,” said Riggleman. “It was unbelievable. I had always bristled when I’d hear Democrats dismiss Republicans as ‘racists’. To me, it seemed like an easy insult that dodged policy discussions. Now, here I was behind the curtain, seeing that some of my colleagues really seemed to hold these awful views.”
