Cursing Republican trolled for asking congressional witness if he thinks he's 'sick'

A Republican senator known for rhetoric recently described as "stupid" and "racist" was trolled on social media Wednesday after he repeatedly swore at a congressional witness during a Senate budget committee hearing.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) used multiple profanities as he peppered Professor Geoffrey Supran about his testimony on the oil industry's propaganda and misinformation tactics.

"Big oil is the new big tobacco," Supran testified. "As a scholar of disinformation, I do not use the word lie lightly. But no other word adequately describes the oil industry’s brazen efforts to mislead the public about its history of misleading the public."

For rhetorical contrast, Kennedy sputtered back; "Are you going to call me a sick f---?"

The lead-up to Kennedy's unprintable question was an exchange that saw the Louisiana Senator reading a series of tweets, among them one he falsely claimed was written by Supran, from the powerful new action group Climate Defiance.

"Would this be the same Climate Defiance that called Sen. Joe Biden a sick f---?" Kennedy asked.

"I don't know," Supran replied.

"Would this be the same Climate Defiance that called Sen. Lisa Murkowski a murderer?" Kennedy asked.

"I do not know," Supran replied.

"Would this be the same Climate Defiance that told the CEO of Exxxon to "Eat s---, Darren?"

"I am not responsible for the statements of other people," Supran replied.

Kennedy then falsely claimed Supran was the author of a Climate Defiance tweet which the professor has shared on X on Dec. 14 that detailed what the group's tactics do not include: namely online petitions, coalition letters and "f---ing bus stop ads."

Supran responded to Kennedy's attack by telling the Senate committee members, "This form of character assassination is characteristic of the kinds of propaganda techniques of the fossil fuel industry."

Kennedy then shouted, "Are you going to call me a sick f---?"

Supran did not answer, but X users who caught the exchange on social media did.

"I will," offered @ChunkMonkeys.

"First of all yes," replied @JDorneden. "Second, the absolute degradation of our politicians is disturbing."

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"Well, now that you ask Senator Kennedy — yes," added @SparklerBlue. "Because you are."

Others had theories.

"From the weird rantings from Kennedy lately," replied @TuffTiffresists, "I think he’s gotten himself sucked into a pornhub fetish rabbit hole."

"This performative provocation may get you 'views,' but it cedes the credibility and destroys the guardrails of decorum expected of the body," added Bob Moriarty in a message directed at Kennedy. "You are a United States Senator. Act it."