'Distasteful' GOP congressman slammed for joking about deadly Baltimore bridge collapse
On Tuesday, March 26, the dominant news story in the United States was the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship that was passing through Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka.
Some Republicans used the collapse to promote conspiracy theories or attack the Biden Administration and Democrats. And far-right Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) joked about the tragedy on X, formerly Twitter.
The far-right MAGA congressman tweeted, "Baltimore obviously won't rename the new bridge after Francis Scott Key again. So, any guesses on the new bridge name?"
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Students for Trump co-founder Ryan Fournier responded "George Floyd Fentanyl Memorial Bridge."
Collins has a history of making controversial jokes and praising murderous dictators.
In February, Collins tweeted that a migrant who allegedly attacked a police officer in New York City should be given "a ticket on Pinochet Air for a free helicopter ride back."
Gen. Augusto Pinochet was a fascist dictator who was responsible for thousands of killings in Chile after the overthrow of socialist Salvador Allende in 1973.
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Collins' post on the bridge collapse is drawing plenty of criticism on X.
Reporter Jim Lokay posted, "A sitting Congressman and the chairman of Students for Trump getting some yuks in on the bridge collapse while 6 workers are presumed dead in the chilly waters below."
Sheryl Adams, a Republican and former auto industry exec based in Southern California, said of Collins' tweet, "How distasteful."
Journalist Patrick J. Kiger asked Collins and Fournier, "Would you have the guts to tell that joke to the divers who spent all day in the water trying to save the six missing?"
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