Forget Russian efforts to influence the 2016 elections. According to one Republican member of Congress, the real scandal is that Mexican-American and Mexican entertainers publicly supported Democrats:
“Those are foreign actors, foreign people, influencing the vote in Nevada. You don’t hear the Democrats screaming and saying one word about that,” [Rep. Michael] Conaway told the newspaper.
When asked whether he considered appearances by the Mexican entertainers on par with Russian cyberattacks, Conaway said: “Sure it is, it’s foreign influence. If we’re worried about foreign influence, let’s have the whole story.”
Newly elected Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, America’s first Latina senator, was not having it:
“There is literally no basis for any comparison between Latino entertainers hitting the campaign trail in Nevada and Vladimir Putin directing cyberwarfare to undermine American democracy,” she said in a statement. “Congressman Conaway’s offensive and immature comments are an insult to so many people in Nevada and across the country who value their Mexican heritage and culture. This is a pathetic attempt to try to diminish the intelligence community’s consensus that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to boost Donald Trump. Congressman Conaway’s comments are unacceptable.”
There’s a kind of big difference between individual performers—from whatever country—standing on stage and saying “I support this candidate and here’s why I think you should, too” and a foreign government seeking to secretly influence an election. But Conaway almost certainly knows that. Shoot, even Louie Gohmert, America’s Dumbest Congressman, probably knows that. Conaway is trying to muddle the field here, and if some good old anti-Latino racism will help him do that, he’s not about to hold back.