Rep. Ogles enrages colleagues with anti-Muslim post
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Rep. Andy Ogles speaks at the New York Young Republican Club's Annual Gala in Manhattan on Dec. 13, 2025. Photo: Adam Gray/Getty Images
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) sparked furious backlash from congressional colleagues Monday with a social media post stating that "Muslims don't belong in American society."
Why it matters: Ogles is one of several hard-right Republicans who have inflamed tensions on Capitol Hill in recent months by making nakedly anti-Muslim public statements.
- Just last month, Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) came under fire from colleagues for a post stating: "If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one."
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retiring centrist who called out Fine's remarks, told Axios of Ogles' comment: "The Constitution says there can be no religious litmus test for those holding public office or government jobs, and I think that applies to citizenship as well."
What they're saying: The condemnation was far more scathing from Democrats, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) calling Ogles a "malignant clown" in a post on X.
- He also called Ogles a "pathological liar who has fabricated his whole life story" — referring to reports that Ogles inflated his resumé.
- House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said in her own post: "This disgusting sh*t doesn't belong in American society. And Republicans who support it don't belong in Congress."
- Said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), another member of leadership who represents a large Muslim community: "This is as unAmerican as it gets. My Republican colleagues must denounce this immediately."
The other side: Ogles shot back in a post on X addressed to Jeffries, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and "the high-ranking Democrats flooding X to condemn me," pointing to a spate of alleged terrorist incidents in Austin and New York City.
- "A Muslim shot and killed three Americans in Texas. Two Muslims tried to blow up New York City...again," he said.
- "Meanwhile, all DHS counterterrorism programs are unfunded because you shut them down."
Between the lines: Last summer, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) introduced a censure resolution against Ogles for repeatedly calling for the deportation of now-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- "Anti-Muslim hate, racism, and ethnic slurs have no place in public discourse, and only serve to divide and endanger diverse communities as well as subject public officials across the country to harassment and death threats," the measure says.
- Torres and a spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment about whether he planned to force a vote on the measure.
- House Democrats told Axios there was minimal internal chatter about any kind of coordinated censure effort in the immediate aftermath of Ogles' post.
Yes, but: Democrats have Ogles as one of their sleeper targets in the November midterm elections.
- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hoping that Ogles' proclivity for scandal, combined with their strong recruit in Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, will help them win in the heavily Republican seat.
- Jeffries, in his post on X, said: "Disgusting Islamophobes like you do not belong in Congress or in civilized society. And that's why House Democrats will defeat you in November."
