WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats attempted Wednesday to quickly censure a Republican congressman who slandered Haitian immigrants in a post he made on social media, but GOP leadership stamped out the effort.

Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana described Haitians in racist terms Wednesday afternoon, calling them “wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters” in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Higgins, a far-right lawmaker who has voiced conspiracy theories, deleted the post after Democrats confronted him on the House floor.

The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, and beyond has faced an onslaught of racist abuse after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance falsely claimed that Haitians were eating pets.

Higgins was responding to a report that a nonprofit representing the Haitian community has invoked a private-citizen right to file charges against Trump and Vance. The Haitian Bridge Alliance brought the charges over the chaos and threats experienced by Springfield, Ohio, since Trump first spread the false claims about legal immigrants there during a presidential debate.

Trump has also vowed to deport immigrants like those in Springfield who entered the country legally under a federal program that allows them to remain in the country temporarily.

Higgins on Wednesday posted that Haitians should get “out of our country before January 20th,” when Trump would be inaugurated as president if he wins the election.

As House lawmakers exited the House chamber after finishing their legislative work ahead of the November election, Rep. Steve Horsford, a Nevada Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, attempted to move a censure resolution against Higgins.

Horsford said Higgins’ words “are inciting hate, they are inciting fear and because of that it is time for this body to stand with one voice and to ensure there is accountability.”

Republicans immediately moved to block his effort from moving forward.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters outside the chamber: “Clay Higgins is a dear friend of mine and a colleague from Louisiana and a very frank and outspoken person. He’s also a very principled man.”

He praised Higgins for deleting the post, saying “he prayed about it, and he regretted it and he pulled the post down. That’s what you want a gentleman to do. I’m sure he probably regrets some of the language he used, but, you know, we move forward. We believe in redemption around here.”

Higgins has periodically stirred controversy with social media posts since his 2016 election to Congress — including a Facebook post in 2020 promising he would “drop” armed protesters “where they stand.”

Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press.

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