Former Congressman Under Fire for Tweeting That Joe Biden ‘Doesn’t Deserve’ Medal of Freedom
Joe Biden is known for getting along with politicians on both sides of the aisle, but one former Republican congressman wasn’t happy about the vice president being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on Thursday.
Former Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas took to Twitter on Thursday night to voice his disapproval, tweeting: “For once, @JoeBiden and I agree: he doesn’t deserve this honor.”
This isn’t the first time the former congressman has taken aim at Biden on Twitter. In Sept. 2015, just before Pope Francis delivered an address to Congress, Huelskamp criticized Biden over his support for abortion rights, tweeting that it conflicted with the vice president’s Catholic faith.
“Biden believes in #life from conception, but @VP has voted for years to kill babies. #CanNotBeCatholicandProChoice #prolife,” he tweeted at the time.
For once, @JoeBiden and I agree: he doesn't deserve this honor. https://t.co/3dG5NCwTa9
— Cong. Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) January 13, 2017
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This time, Twitter was quick to lash out at Huelskamp, calling him “petty” and accusing him of “behaving badly”:
@CongHuelskamp What a petty little man you are
— Andrea Stone (@andreastonez) January 13, 2017
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@CongHuelskamp pic.twitter.com/KdqIAM8fsg
— r.scott.whitley (@_RScottWhitley_) January 13, 2017
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@CongHuelskamp you should be ashamed of yourself, you jealous petty man. @JoeBiden deserves the medal of freedom and more.
— Patricia Linna (@patricia_linna) January 13, 2017
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@CongHuelskamp you're behaving badly. Thanks for all @JoeBiden
— The Companion (@SerialCompanion) January 13, 2017
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When he received the Medal of Honor in a surprise ceremony on Thursday, a tearful Biden insisted that he was not worthy of the award, telling the president, “This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it’s a reflection of the extent and generosity of your spirit. I don’t deserve this but I know it came from the president’s heart.”
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RELATED VIDEO: Joe Biden Surprised with Medal of Freedom
The vice president also thanked the commander in chief for supporting him and his family when his late son Beau was fighting brain cancer: “Mr. President, you have crept into our heart, you and your whole family, and you occupy it.”
While paying tribute to Biden during the ceremony, Obama said, “To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self regard and to live life fully. As one of his longtime colleagues in the Senate said — who happened to be a Republican — if you can’t admire Joe Biden, you have a problem.”
