Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) launched a tweet storm against Richard Spencer on Thursday after the prominent white nationalist said « goober conservatives » blame Russia for « racial divisions » in the United States.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) launched a tweet storm against Richard Spencer on Thursday after the prominent white nationalist said « goober conservatives » blame Russia for « racial divisions » in the United States.
Sasse’s pushback on social media started after Spencer commented on a tweet the GOP senator sent Wednesday night.
Sasse shared an article summing up comments from GOP Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) that Russian internet trolls helped feed a controversy started by President Trump about whether or not NFL athletes should be able to kneel during the national anthem.
Spencer then retweeted Sasse’s comments on Thursday morning but added: « In the minds of goober conservatives, the Russians are to blame for racial divisions. »
Sasse, over the span of roughly a half an hour, launched a string of tweets, including saying he is one of the « brown-shirt-pajama-boy Nazis » and a « clown. »
Sasse sent 11 tweets in all, adding that Spencer doesn’t understand « human dignity » and his ideas are both « un-American poison » and « boring. »
Spencer, a well-known figure on the alt-right, previously said he was « proud » of President Trump’s response to violence in Charlottesville, Va., when he blamed both white supremacists and the « alt-left. »
But Trump’s remarks sparked widespread backlash, including among Republicans in Congress, who warned that his rhetoric was divisive.
