Tennessee Republican blames staffer for ‘homosexuality has no place in America’ tweet

U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee) has deleted a controversial social media post stating that “homosexuality has no place in America,” pinning the blame on a staffer. The congressman took to social media to address the situation, claiming he was away on his farm when he realized his communications team had made the unauthorized post.

Internal Backlash

Ogles denounced the post as “stupid, hurtful and a complete distraction” from his stated America First agenda, confirming that the employee involved has faced disciplinary action. The statement quickly drew fire from fellow Republicans. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) openly rebuked the rhetoric, tweeting that homosexuality exists in America and noting that Ogles has gay family members, friends, and constituents who are worthy of respect. Lawler labeled the original comment as an “absolutely idiotic statement.” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) also weighed in, describing the post as “inappropriate,” as NBC News reported.

A History of Controversy

This incident is not the first time the Tennessee representative has sparked outrage. In April, Ogles faced scrutiny after claiming an Iranian man detained by ICE was a “known terrorist,” asserting in a video that the individual was trained by Hezbollah and in the country “for the purpose of committing genocide.” However, court records failed to substantiate these claims. The man, Ribvar Karimi, was eventually released in December following the termination of his court proceedings.

Earlier this year, Ogles drew intense criticism from Democrats after posting that Muslims “don’t belong in American society.” In that same tweet, he suggested that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani should be deported, claiming his file contained evidence that would justify such an action.