Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy during a Wednesday hearing criticized climate researcher Geoffrey Supran over controversial posts he reposted on X, formerly Twitter.
Supran in December retweeted a post by a group called Climate Defiance, which has made waves with its confrontational protests targeting corporate executives, Biden administration officials and prominent Democrats. Kennedy alleged Supran’s repost indicates his support for the organization and pressed him on backing the group that in March called Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia a “sick fuck.” (RELATED: American Liberal Elites Bankroll Org That’s Supporting A Global Network Of Law-Breaking Climate Activists)
BREAKING: we just called Joe Manchin a sick fuck. We humiliated him in front of a herd of Harvard elites. He squared up. We held firm. Barbaric murderer, hideous fiend, he torches humanity and laughs. pic.twitter.com/1ajrQsKnbJ
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) March 1, 2024
“OK. Would this be the same Climate Defiance that you — I’m looking at your tweet, you — you tweeted in support of them — would this be the same Climate Defiance that called Senator Joe [Manchin], quote, ‘a sick fuck?’” Kennedy asked.
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Supran said he was unsure, with Kennedy bringing up other examples, including calling Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski a “murderer” in April and telling Exxon CEO and Chairman Darren Woods to “eat shit” in December.
“I’m not responsible for the statements of other people,” Supran said.
“Nice group you’re hanging around with, doc. Here’s what your tweet says,” Kennedy said before reading the post by Climate Defiance that Supran reposted.
“We do not do online petitions. We do not do NGO coalition letters. We do not do fucking bus stop ads. We CHASE fossil fuel CEOs and the politicians who do their bidding. And we do not apologize,” the post reads.
We do not do online petitions. We do not do NGO coalition letters. We do not do fucking bus stop ads.
We CHASE fossil fuel CEOs and the politicians who do their bidding. And we do not apologize.
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) December 14, 2023
Supran said that he did not write the post. Kennedy read another post that Supran reposted by a user named asad rehman.
Climate justice was coined by our movements to locate it as a struggle against genocidal racial injustice, colonialism & apartheid. If your climate justice doesn’t stand with the Palestinians against colonialism & apartheid – then your ‘climate justice’ has no justice in it.
— asad rehman (@chilledasad100) November 1, 2023
“Climate justice was coined by our movements to locate it as a struggle against genocidal racial injustice, colonialism & apartheid. If your climate justice doesn’t stand with the Palestinians against colonialism & apartheid – then your ‘climate justice’ has no justice in it,” it reads.
Supran again said those were not his words and asked to view the documents Kennedy was reading, with the senator granting his request. Kennedy’s time expired but the researcher asked to clarify that the posts were not his.
“These are not my tweets. These are retweets,” he said. “Oh, you often retweet stuff you don’t support? Is that what you’re telling me, doc?” Kennedy retorted.
Supran did not deny supporting the posts, but said they are not his words, accusing Kennedy of making false allegations against him. “Character assassination is characteristic of the propaganda techniques of fossil fuel,” Supran said.
“Are you going to call me a sick fuck?” Kennedy asked.
We do not do online petitions. We do not do NGO coalition letters. We do not do fucking bus stop ads.
We CHASE fossil fuel CEOs and the politicians who do their bidding. And we do not apologize.
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) December 14, 2023
Supran is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Miami, according to his biography. He primarily researches “the history of climate disinformation and propaganda by fossil fuel interests.”
Kennedy’s office forwarded the posts to the Daily Caller News Foundation upon request. The DCNF verified that Supran reposted two of them, including one by Climate Defiance.
Supran did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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