But one Congressman Clay Higgins, opposed the House vote, and his stance has attracted a massive backlash on social media, reports AP. “What was wrong with the bill three months ago is still wrong today. It abandons 250 years of criminal justice procedure in America,” Higgins said in a lengthy X post Tuesday afternoon. Amid this, past controversial posts calling Haitian migrants “thugs” and “slapstick gangsters” are in spotlight.
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Clay Higgins past controversy
Clay Higgins is no stranger to controversy. As a former law enforcement officer, he faced multiple allegations of misconduct and entered politics after gaining viral fame with bold Crime Stoppers videos. Media outlets nicknamed him “Cajun John Wayne,” a label he reinforced by challenging people to fights on social media.
In 2020, Facebook removed a post by Higgins in which he promised the use of force against armed protesters, citing violations of its policies on violence and incitement. In Congress, Clay Higgins chaired a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee that issued a subpoena to the Department of Justice for Epstein case files. Even when Democrats convinced several Republicans to back the subpoena, Higgins opposed it. He also pushed to subpoena former President Bill Clinton.
“I’ve never handled a subpoena like this. This is some fascinating stuff,” Higgins said at the time. On Tuesday, he highlighted the subcommittee’s work on the Epstein case, saying it ensures “all due protections for innocent Americans.”
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Last year, Democrats tried to censure Higgins over racist comments he made about Haitian immigrants following President Trump’s remarks about the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio. Higgins had posted on social media calling Haitians “wild” and making derogatory claims about their culture. In a social media post, Higgins had called Haitian migrants “thugs” and “slapstick gangsters” who needed to get “their a** out of our country” only to delete it later.After members of the Congressional Black Caucus confronted him, Higgins deleted the post and partially retracted his remarks, saying they targeted gang members. At the time, Johnson defended him, calling Higgins “a very frank and outspoken person” and “a very principled man.”
Who is Clay Higgins?
Clay Higgins is an ultra-conservative Republican who lives in Lafayette, has consistently positioned his views alongside those of President Trump and he flipped his stance Sunday and encouraged lawmakers to approve the release of the Epstein files. Higgins represents Louisiana’s Third District, which includes the parish of Lafayette.
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Higgins is an Army veteran and has worked in law enforcement, according to his website. He’s also a member on the Armed Services Committees and the Chairman of the Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee.
A fierce Trump ally, the Louisianan is a member of the small but mighty House Freedom Caucus, whose hardline conservative beliefs have derailed moderate Republicans’ plans in several high-profile fights. Higgins’ congressional website identifies him as a “champion for smaller government, lower taxes, secure borders, and individual freedoms.”
“As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people —witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc,” he wrote. “If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt. Not by my vote.”
Clay Higgins emphasized that a probe on Epstein by the Oversight Committee, which he sits on, would produce more documents and satisfy remaining questions. “That effort will continue in a manner that provides all due protections for innocent Americans,” the congressman wrote. “If the Senate amends the bill to properly address privacy of victims and other Americans, who are named but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for that bill when it comes back to the House.”
(With AP inputs)
