In the last week, Republicans and their media allies have leveled a series of bizarre accusations against Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. However, the claim made by Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) may be in a class of its own.
This is notable considering Ken Paxton, Talarico's GOP opponent, accused him of being 'low T,' and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller baselessly claimed the Texas Democrat was the party's first transgender Senate candidate. There was also the allegation that Talarico might be a vegan.
But Lee topped them all when he responded to an X post by the Democratic Party hyping Talarico to Texan voters, saying he is 'the only candidate who will put you first.'
Something about the post ignited Lee, so much so that he suggested Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, worships Moloch—an ancient deity associated with ritual child sacrifice that some conservative Christians use rhetorically to refer to abortion.
Lee posted: 'James Talarico will put you first / On the altar to Moloch.' HuffPost reached out to Lee's office for comment but received no immediate response. However, Moloch references appear to be a particular passion for Lee, who has posted them many times before.
Lee's post attracted shock and salty comments, many referencing recent Republican calls for civility. Mehdi Hasan noted the irony: 'Nothing to see here, just a Republican Senator accusing a Democratic Senate candidate of child sacrifice. But, hey, don't you dare criticize Trump as that could lead to political violence.'
Another user wrote: 'liberals need to stop demonizing their political opponents.' Cathy Young added: 'I thought demonizing (literally!) political opponents was bad and incites violence?'
One person suggested trafficking in religious bigotry is not a good look for a Mormon politician like Lee. Another said Lee 'will not be held accountable for these outrageous comments accusing a Democrat of sacrificing people to Satan because he refuses to speak to the press. He's just thoroughly pickled his brain online.'
A third user commented: 'dude who believes Jesus made a post-crucifixion pit stop in Utah to explain to a convicted con artist how to become master of a harem has opinions about Christian heresy.'
One woman snarkily hoped Lee's accusation was legitimate, saying 'Promise?' Another social media user from Texas noted the GOP's attempted takedowns prove the party is 'struggling so hard to nail down an attack on Talarico.'
