Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) went on MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes on Tuesday to advocate for Donald Trump, and he probably wishes he hadn't. When the discussion turned to the 11-year-old recording of Donald Trump boasting into a live mic about how he likes to kiss and grope attractive women, Hayes asked Farenthold "if someone off the record in a locker room — this was not in a locker room, it was workplace — said, 'I really like raping women,' would that be locker room talk?" Farenthold said it depends, "you don't know the entire context of this, but I'm not going to defend Donald Trump on this, I don't, I don't like what he said, and Donald Trump can defend himself."
Hayes cut in, asking, "If a tape came out with Donald Trump saying that, saying 'I really like to rape women,' you would continue to endorse him.'" "Again, it would— I'd— that would be bad," Farenthold answered, "and I would have to consider, I'd consider it."
It was a sneaky hypothetical question from Hayes, and a pretty terrible answer from the Texas Republican. If he'd had time to consider it longer, Farenthold might have answered it differently. Instead, he took to Twitter:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So Farenthold is not supporting a presidential candidate he believes to love raping women. The voters of Corpus Christi will surely be relieved to hear that.
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
