GOP Senator Torches Right-Wing Influencers Who Sound Like Elizabeth Warren and Rashida Tlaib

(Photo Credit: C-SPAN)

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) blasted influencers on the “erstwhile right” who routinely “traffic in antisemitism” on Tuesday, saying they are fake conservatives who have no place in the Republican Party now or moving forward. He also ripped right-wing pundits for spouting views that make them sound more like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) than President Donald Trump.

The senator went off — in a fairly measured, senatorial way — during a speech at a symposium held by National Review and the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

“They always blame America first — if they’re not blaming Israel first,” Cotton said.

Cotton put the word “influencer” in sarcastic air quotes as he spoke, arguing many of the top right-wing pundits are frauds who have anti-semitic and liberal views.

“These influencers are perceived to be on the right, and maybe they once were. Maybe they once wrote for center-right magazines. Maybe they once worked for center-right websites or media companies,” Cotton said. “But I do not agree that I share a political movement or a political party with anyone who traffics in anti-semitism.” That comment drew some claps from the audience.

“And for that matter, doesn’t just traffic in antisemitism — or at least adjacent to antisemitism — shares Liz Warren’s economic policies, or Rashida Tlaib’s foreign policy,” he continued. “Because if you’ve noticed, these so-called influencers, like antisemites usually do, have a deep antipathy to free market capitalism.”

Cotton did not call anyone out by name. But it’s a good bet Tucker Carlson is one of the influencers he was referring to, considering Carlson’s relentlessly negative commentary about Israel.

Carlson has built a large following since being booted from Fox News in large part thanks to a steady diet of Israel-critical content, like his video last week on the attacks that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He argued this was not in America’s best interest, saying “this war is waged purely because Israel wanted it to be waged.”

Carlson also called the strikes on Iran “absolutely disgusting and evil” — comments that led to Trump kicking him out of his MAGA movement. And over the last two weeks, seven of Carlson’s nine videos on YouTube have mentioned Israel in the title or included an ominous picture of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Cotton also told the symposium on Tuesday that right-leaning commentators who are criticizing the war against Iran do not represent the average conservative. From National Review:

Cotton argued that right-wing influencers lack any power over the Republican Party, as shown by President Trump’s affinity for Israel and the ongoing war against Iran. He cited polls showing overwhelming support among MAGA Republicans for “bombing the hell” out of now-deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this month killed Khamenei and numerous senior Iranian officials, marking the start of the regime change war unfolding in Iran.

Watch via the X video above.

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