A Republican congressman described a war between “all of Christendom” and “Islamic horror” in a Facebook post Sunday morning following a terrorist attack in London.
Next to a photo of the alleged perpetrators of the terrorist attack, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) wrote:
The free world… all of Christendom… is at war with Islamic horror. Not one penny of American treasure should be granted to any nation who harbors these heathen animals. Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identity them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all.
-Captain Clay Higgins
Mother Jones reported that Higgins’ campaign spokesperson, Chris Comeaux, wrote in an email to the publication: “Rep. Higgins is referring to terrorists. He’s advocating for hunting down and killing all of the terrorists. This is an idea all of America & Britain should be united behind.”
In a statement emailed to TPM by his congressional spokesperson, Higgins said: “We are a world at war. The enemy is radicalized Islamic jihadists. The terrorists certainly take advantage of the politically correct madness that consumes the West. They revel, that many in the western world are frightened to speak freely. I’ve never been accused of being politically correct. I call things the way I see them.”
“The meaning of candid speech is frequently mischaracterized or misunderstood,” Higgins’ statement continued. “This is about prioritizing national security and protecting American lives. Every measure must be taken to eliminate radical Islamic terrorism and the threat it poses to the free world. My only concern is protecting the people that live in my district, my state, and my country. We must stand strong against radical Islamic terror. The fate of the free world will be determined by the courageous, not by the intimidated.”
Higgins’ office didn’t answer TPM’s questions about whether he was advocating for a specific policy, nor whether “kill them all” included suspected terrorists’ constitutional right to due process.
Higgins has long cultivated an image of himself as a tough-talking police officer and military veteran. Before being elected to Congress in 2016, he was know for his direct-to-camera warnings to would-be and accused criminals, as the spokesperson for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office in Opelousas, Louisiana.
This post has been updated.
