Steve Cohen, the Democratic representative of Tennessee’s ninth congressional district, made some eyebrows go up on Monday when he seemed to call for a military coup to seize President Trump in the wake of controversial statements made during a joint press conference in Helsinki opposite Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Cohen tweeted during the course of the presser:
Where are our military folks ? The Commander in Chief is in the hands of our enemy! https://t.co/3eF7OLKEdN
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018
Cohen walked back the statement in subsequent tweets, insisting he had meant no such thing and chiding reporters and others on Twitter for “jumping to conclusions”:
Talk about jumping to conclusions without talking to source. No coup called for . I seriously doubt anyone would use twitter to do .. one tweet if by land two if by sea…Wow https://t.co/3d0uhGa57t
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) July 16, 2018
Still, it would not be the first time the Congressman has made hasty comments he perhaps ought not to have made.
Just last week, Rep. Cohen made another military-related gaffe when he told ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok, “If I could give you a Purple Heart, I would,” speaking in support of the disgraced agent’s behavior during his much-publicized hearing on Capitol hill. Cohen has since apologized for the blunder, which offended some U.S. veterans and service members.