Very like his spirit animal, Donald Trump, Rep. Clay Higgins first sought actuality TV earlier than taking his shtick to Washington.
And had “American Justice With Clay Higgins” taken off, perhaps the folks in Springfield, Ohio, would have one much less member of Congress utilizing their small city to drive racists to the polls, as with his since-deleted tweet calling Haitian immigrants “thugs” and “gangsters.”
And be not mistaken, Higgins himself most likely would have most popular actuality TV fame to a seat in Congress.
In 2015, whereas a Louisiana police officer, he grabbed some nationwide consideration via a collection of campy on-line movies referred to as “Crime Stoppers.” That style of fame captured his creativeness, and by 2016 Higgins had each a nickname — “Cajun John Wayne” — and curiosity from the manager producer of “Duck Dynasty.”
Captain Higgins additionally had a number of work emails that confirmed him negotiating private look charges and merchandising alternatives throughout firm time. That wasn’t the one purpose he was pressured to resign. We’ll get to that later. Simply know that when he was not a police officer, the “Duck Dynasty” alternative fell aside.
In January 2016, the movie “Trip Alongside 2” got here out, with Ice Dice and Kevin Hart enjoying cops. The following month, Higgins resigned. Then he launched “Higgins Trip Alongside 2” on the Captain Clay Higgins YouTube channel — enjoying a cop.
Within the YouTube video, a digicam adopted Higgins as he drove a muscle automobile down the freeway. He was sporting a cutoff that paradoxically showcased a scarcity of definition. The black patch on the bag dealing with the digicam learn “SHERIFF,” although Higgins by no means was one. Then once more, Higgins embraced “Cajun John Wayne,” and he’s not Cajun.
“Is it going to be a tv present? I don’t know,” he said, while claiming more than 20 television executives had reached out to him. “I’m not going to be no clown, I can let you know that. It’s going to hold my message that’s righteous or it’s not going to exist.”
In Might 2016, Higgins had a gun in his holster and wore a shirt with sleeves when he introduced he was running for Congress. He needed to be wealthy and well-known earlier than he needed to serve in Congress, and this bid for the Home was a last-ditch effort to salvage what remained of his quarter-hour of fame. He understands, very like Trump, that the easiest way to maintain folks speaking about you is to present them one thing to speak about.
Even when it encourages violence or is racist.
Take into account this: This January, Higgins said, “feds are staging a civil battle, and Texas ought to stand their floor” after a Supreme Court docket ruling sided with the U.S. Structure. In April, Higgins was heard on a conservative podcast claiming the Trump-inspired Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol “was a nefarious agenda to entrap MAGA People” by the FBI.
After deleting his latest racist put up in regards to the immigrants in Springfield — which started, “Lol. These Haitians are wild,” earlier than descending into a lot worse — Higgins later stated, “You by no means need to deliberately damage somebody’s emotions.”
Which brings us to his profession as an officer and why he was pressured to resign.
In considered one of his “Crime Stoppers” movies, he refers to alleged members of a gang sought by authorities as animals. He describes the investigation as a hunt by which the suspects wanted to be trapped. The people proven on the display screen have been predominantly Black and brown. After Higgins resigned, he capitalized on a rumor that the video had pressured his resignation — as if he have been a sufferer of “political correctness.” That false impression helped gasoline Higgins’s late entry into the sector in 2016 and made him a member of Congress.
The reality is the sheriff was going to fireplace him for the pages and pages of emails’ price of private enterprise. Higgins was additionally accused of attacking an unarmed Black man whereas an officer.
So, this isn’t nearly emotions being damage. It’s in regards to the character of a person who has been given an excessive amount of energy. Republicans positioned Higgins on committees relating to civil rights, authorities accountability and border safety — with full data of every thing you simply examine his background. Rep. Mike Johnson, fellow Louisiana Republican, referred to as Higgins a pal. Some “pal”; Higgins didn’t help Johnson to turn out to be Home speaker via the primary three rounds of voting. In truth John A. Boehner, who had left Congress greater than 10 years in the past and have become a lobbyist for the marijuana industry, acquired a vote for the speakership earlier than Republicans finally landed on Johnson. And that was solely as a result of Trump informed MAGA Republicans they have been making the get together look dangerous.
So to cling to his job, Johnson has to fake Higgins is an efficient member of Congress, whereas Higgins is pretending he truly needs to be there.
If solely he had gotten that TV present as an alternative.