'Lunacy': MAGA lawmaker sparks backlash as he accuses Dem candidate of 'child sacrifice'

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) left critics dumbfounded on Friday after suggesting that James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate from Texas, would engage in religious child sacrifice.The official social media account on X for the Democratic Party promoted Talarico’s candidacy this week with a simple message: “James Talarico is the only candidate who will put you first.” Lee, known for his controversial online remarks, issued a response just hours later.“James Talarico will put you first On the altar to Moloch,” Lee wrote, referencing the ancient figure of Moloch mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and associated with child sacrifice.Lee’s social media post also included an animated image depicting a child being sacrificed to an ancient deity — a post that left several onlookers appalled.“Nothing to see here, just a Republican Senator accusing a Democratic Senate candidate of child sacrifice,” wrote journalist and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on Friday. “But, hey, don’t you dare criticize [President Donald] Trump as that could lead to political violence.”Catherine Young, a staff writer for The Bulwark and columnist for Newsday, also flagged what she characterized as Lee’s hypocrisy given the GOP’s increasingly frequent condemnation of “inflammatory rhetoric” as a cause for political violence.“I thought demonizing (literally!) political opponents was bad and incites violence?” Young asked in a social media post on X to her more than 70,000 followers.Journalist-turned-lawyer Charlie Johnson described Lee’s remarks as “certifiable lunacy,” and Eric Michael Garcia, the D.C. bureau chief for The Independent and MS NOW columnist, argued that the Utah Republican was unlikely to face any consequences for his inflammatory remarks.“Again, Mike Lee will not be held accountable for these outrageous comments accusing a Democrat of sacrificing people to Satan because he refuses to speak to the press,” Garcia wrote Friday in a social media post on X to his more than 44,000 followers. “He's just thoroughly pickled his brain online.”Nothing to see here, just a Republican Senator accusing a Democratic Senate candidate of child sacrifice.But, hey, don’t you dare criticize Trump as that could lead to political violence. https://t.co/tlQYlnN3b9— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 29, 2026