Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) was caught making a disturbing comment about his fellow Tennessean Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R) on Thursday. At a community prayer breakfast in Memphis last month for former Gov. Phil Bredesen, who is running for the Senate against Blackburn, Cohen is heard in a secret recording wishing that she would "jump off" a bridge.
HuffPo obtained the audio.
“The big orange president .... He’s going to come down here and he is going to endorse Marsha Blackburn, because Marsha Blackburn, if he says, ‘Jump off the Harahan Bridge,’ she’ll jump off the Harahan Bridge,” he said in the audio obtained by HuffPost, referring to a bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Arkansas and Tennessee. “I wish he’d say that.”
BREAKING: Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen says in secret recording that he hopes congresswoman Marsha Blackburn killed herself - HuffPo pic.twitter.com/aWm0T3rMiT
— Wired Sources (@WiredSources) August 10, 2018
The HuffPo reached out to Cohen and he attempted to clarify his remarks.
“It was obviously humor,” he said. “I wish her no harm. I hope she doesn’t get the Senate. And I wish she wasn’t a lackey for Trump. But I don’t wish her physical harm.”
Bredesen, who also responded to Cohen's comments, said he is determined to keep his campaign focused on his own agenda and not personal attacks on opponents.
“I really don’t want [this election] to be about my opponent and who’s best and who’s worst or who’s made most mistakes, or things like that,” Bredesen said, according to the audio provided by his campaign. “I really want this election to be about ideas, and I want you to ask everyone to vote for the person who they think got the best ideas about how to create opportunity in Tennessee, and create opportunity in the United States of America.”
Bredesen and Blackburn are running for the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Bob Corker. President Trump endorsed the Republican in April, telling Tennesseans that she is "Great on the Military, Border Security and Crime." Blackburn is using his support as a "key selling point" in the race.
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