Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido, running in a critical South Texas swing district, is facing criticism over resurfaced social media posts in which he referred to police officers as "abusive a—holes." The tweets, posted in 2017, resurfaced as Pulido challenges incumbent Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in Texas Congressional District 15.
In one tweet from December 19, 2017, Pulido stated, "Half of the ones [police officers] have been courteous (even when ticketing me) the others, abusive a—holes." He also wrote on the same day, "Not all cops abuse power, but many do." In reference to an officer's acquittal in a fatal shooting, Pulido questioned, "The fact that he was found not guilty makes me question the validity of our justice system."
Another tweet from July 9, 2018, claimed, "we have an abusive cop problem," referencing a video of an El Paso police officer appearing to point a firearm at children. Pulido added in the same thread that he "long for the day when we teach our children how to behave even when a cop is way out of line."
In 2019, Pulido also tweeted, "unfortunately, many people including some judges and police when given power, turn into monsters."
Pulido's campaign has dismissed the resurfaced comments as "lies" and "desperate attacks," asserting that he has been a "lifelong supporter of our law enforcement."
The Republican National Committee criticized Pulido, with spokesperson Zach Kraft accusing the candidate of "smearing the brave men and women of law enforcement."
Pulido, a former Latin music star, has also drawn scrutiny for past remarks regarding immigration enforcement and what he termed the "theory of White replacement." He suggested that some individuals joining immigration enforcement are "White nationalists" who "want to go hunt down people."
Pulido's campaign stated that the "GOP establishment is in full panic mode" and that "South Texas knows" Pulido is a supporter of law enforcement, predicting a clear victory in November.