Rep. Clay Higgins appears to be using the Auschwitz video to make the case for a stronger military and homeland resolve. The Auschwitz Memorial slammed the video, saying the site is « not a stage. »
As President Trump visits Poland Wednesday, a U. S. congressman is stirring up controversy with a video recorded at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
In a macabre YouTube post, Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins, at times donning dark glasses, takes viewers on a tour of the former Nazi concentration camp where more than 1 million people were killed during World War II in German-occupied Poland. Higgins is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and appears to be using the Auschwitz video to make the case for a stronger military and homeland resolve.
« A great sense of dread comes over you in this place, » he says in what appears to be a shaky selfie video from inside the gas chamber. Somber music — a violin dirge — is heard in the background as he narrates.
« It’s hard to walk away from gas chambers and ovens without a sober feeling of commitment — unwavering commitment — to make damn sure that the United States of America is protected from the evils of the world, » Higgins says.
The Auschwitz Memorial official twitter account responded by posting a photo of a plaque that asks people to maintain silence there in respect.
« Everyone has the right to personal reflections, » the post said. « However, inside a former gas chamber there should be mournful silence. It’s not a stage. »
Higgins’ office has not responded to NPR’s request for comment.
« The United States is more accessible to terror like this, » he says in the post. « This is why homeland security must be squared away, why our military must be invincible. »
The five-minute video was originally posted Saturday to the You Tube channel for Lee Johnson Media, described as a « conservative podcast looking at America of today. »
Higgins is a political newcomer who took office in January after a winning a runoff to represent Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Lafayette and St. Charles.
He is a former law enforcement officer known as the « Cajun John Wayne » for making viral anti-crime videos that called out suspected gang members by name and said they were « thugs » and « animals » who would be hunted.
