“DISHONEST & DISLOYAL”: GOP Congressman Mo Brooks reveals what he really thinks of Trump
Outgoing Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) threw Donald Trump under the bus during an interview on Friday — verbally anyway — calling the former President “dishonest, disloyal, and incompetent.” Considering that Brooks was the first Republican congressperson to object to the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, this is quite a departure for the former MAGA ally.
Paul Gattis at AL.com wrote:
“It would be a bad mistake for the Republicans to have Donald Trump as their nominee in 2024,” Brooks said in an interview with AL.com. “Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans. Even a candidate who campaigns from his basement can beat him.”
“Keep in mind 2016, when I said he was dishonest, you cannot trust a single word that he says and I have never recanted that,” Brooks said. “No question, I am displeased with Donald Trump,” Brooks continued. “But that does not change the truthfulness of what I say. I challenge anybody to make the argument that you can trust the word of Donald Trump.”
“There are some people who are despondent about the voter fraud and election theft in 2020,” Brooks said. “Folks, put that behind you, put that behind you.”“Yes,” he said. “Look forward, look forward, look forward. Beat them in 2022, beat them in 2024.”
Oh boy. Mo Brooks suggested, in seriousness, that those in attendance should accept the results of the 2020 election and move on to the next one
… needless to say it did not go well and he nearly lost the crowd 😮 pic.twitter.com/1htgV3QAgm
— Ryan Phillips (@JournoRyan) August 22, 2021
After the Cullman, Alabama rally, Trump told The Washington Examiner that Rep. Brooks was “disappointing.”
“I’m disappointed that he gave an inarticulate answer, and I’ll have to find out what he means. If it meant what he sounded like, I would have no problem changing [my endorsement] because when you endorse somebody, you endorse somebody based on principle. If he changed that principle, I would have no problem doing that.”
Brooks refuted Trump’s claims, saying “Much of what I said at the Cullman rally was also what I said at the Ellipse speech on January 6.”
In 2016, Brooks criticized the GOP presidential candidate, insisting that he wouldn’t vote for Trump if he won the nomination and citing “character flaws,” like cursing and committing adultery.
“It’s not necessarily the sexual act itself, it’s the honor,” Brooks said. “I want someone in the White House who is honorable. I believe honesty, integrity, and honor are important attributes for the president of the United States.”
We know how that turned out.
But the congressman’s words ring less than sincere. After nearly four years of breaking federal laws such as the Hatch Act, emoluments clauses, multiple allegations of sexual assault, and financial corruption, he continued to support Trump. Not only did Brooks speak at the Ellipse, but he also went on to vote to subvert democracy after the violent attack on the Capitol that injured 140 police officers and led to the deaths of several others.
Today, however, Brooks is singing a different tune.
In an attempt to re-write history, he insists that he was motivated by “election integrity,” not the former President.
“I did not fight for Donald Trump after the 2020 election,” Brooks said. “I fought for election integrity, Donald Trump just happened to be the beneficiary of it.”
If Trump has fallen out of favor with Brooks, who would he support in 2024?
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) are at the top of his list.
“We need someone who is honorable, someone who has good character, and someone that the American people respect,” Brooks proclaimed.
The only thing we want to see DeSantis, Cruz, or Paul running for is the exit.
Original reporting by Paul Gattis at AL.com.
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