Hard Wire

Congressman Has Bizarre Response To Behavior Allegations Made During Flight

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Congressman Brad Sherman, a long-serving Democrat from California known for his outspoken opposition to Donald Trump, has found himself at the center of an embarrassing and deeply ironic scandal—one that’s raising questions about judgment, digital hygiene, and a political class that seems increasingly out of touch with the optics of power.

Photos surfaced this week on social media platform X showing Sherman mid-flight, tablet in hand, seemingly engrossed in a series of sexually suggestive images of women. The photos, posted by the account @dearwhitestaff, quickly went viral, showing Sherman with his mouth agape as four to five provocative images filled his screen.


The post didn’t mince words: “Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today? His district deserves better representation than this!!”

Sherman’s response? Denial—followed by deflection—and then an admission, of sorts. In an interview with reporter John Bresnahan, Sherman insisted that the images were not pornography, blamed the X algorithm for flooding his feed with such content, and said what he was doing was “inappropriate,” but not, in his view, obscene.


“This was on Twitter,” Sherman explained. “These pictures came up on ‘For You.’ … I must’ve looked at more than 1,000 posts.” He then added, rather tellingly, “If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah.”

That line—equal parts unfiltered and unconvincing—has already become a flashpoint.

Sherman tried to laugh off the incident, pushing responsibility onto the algorithm built by Elon Musk’s platform. “Is it pornography? I don’t think Elon Musk thinks so,” he said. “Is it appropriate? No.”

But when pressed on whether he has a problem with pornography, Sherman firmly denied it, saying, “No, I don’t have a problem. It’s all about the algorithms.”

Which leaves a familiar question lingering in the air: does intent matter less than optics?


Sherman isn’t accused of a crime. He isn’t the first politician caught in a compromising moment. But he is, notably, a career politician from a party that frequently demands higher ethical standards—particularly when it involves Republican opponents. And when the same rules circle back, they tend to sting.

After all, this isn’t just about an algorithm or a careless scroll. It’s about judgment in public office. It's about a member of Congress, on a commercial flight, fully aware that his actions are visible, and still engaging with what most Americans would agree is inappropriate content—whether algorithm-fed or self-curated.


It’s not a legal scandal. But it’s a clarity scandal. One that leaves constituents wondering what their representative prioritizes when the seatbelt light goes off.

For a congressman who prides himself on oversight, Brad Sherman may have just proved he needs a little more of it—starting with his own screen.

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