Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) claims “good conservatives” are voting for “crazy stuff” because they’re being blackmailed by powerful people after getting drunk and ending up “naked in a motel room” with an “attractive” stranger.
Burchett made the claim in an interview with far-right podcast host Benny Johnson on Thursday during their discussion about why it took so long for convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s client list to be unsealed.
According to Burchett, Republicans aren’t pushing for Epstein’s flight logs and client list to be revealed because some members are compromised and don’t want the truth to come out.
“Why in the world would good conservatives vote for crazy stuff like what we’ve been seeing out of Congress?,” Burchett said, then proceeded to explain “how it works” in Washington.
“You’re visiting, you’re out of the country or out of town or you’re in a motel or at a bar in DC and, whatever you’re into – women, men, whatever — comes up and they’re very attractive and they’re laughing at your jokes. And you’re buying them a drink. Next thing you know, you’re in the motel room with them naked,” he said.
“And next thing you know, you know you’re about to make a key vote. And what happens? Some well-dressed person comes out and whispers in your ear, ‘Hey, man, there’s tapes out on you.’ Or, ‘Were you in a motel room or whatever with whoever?’ And then you’re like, ‘Oh, and [they] said, ‘you really ought not be voting for this thing,’” he continued. “You know? And what do they do? It’s human nature. And, you know, no man or no woman actually is an island.”
“And they know what to get at,” Burchett added. “You know, if it’s women, drugs, booze, it’ll find you. And they say, and in most elected offices, and that’s what people of power and influence do.”
Burchett’s comments are similar to those made by former GOP congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) who claimed he had been invited to cocaine-fueled orgies by colleagues in Washington.
More recently, ousted GOP congressman George Santos (R-NY) claims members of Congress were getting drunk and sleeping with lobbyists.
“I have colleagues who are more worried about getting drunk every night with the next lobbyist that they’re gonna screw and pretend like none of us know what’s going on, and sell off the American people, not show up to vote because they’re too hungover or whatever the reason is, or not show up to vote at all and just give their card out like fucking candy for someone else to vote for them,” Santos said. “This shit happens every single week.”
