Chris Rabb Advocates for Incarcerating “Lawless MAGA Thugs”

This week, Pennsylvania congressional candidate and state representative Chris Rabb expressed his views on incarceration, stating that while he’s generally against it, he supports locking up what he called “lawless MAGA thugs.”

During an appearance on the podcast hosted by Wajahat Ali, Rabb declared, “I’m a decarceration person.” He pointed out the troubling fact that the U.S. holds a quarter of the world’s imprisoned population, which he described as morally wrong. Yet, he made a notable exception for individuals engaging in lawless behavior. “Lock all of those f—ers up,” he said, acknowledging the apparent contradiction in his stance as a leftist who opposes incarceration.

Rabb, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who succeeded in his Democratic primary race this year, called for Congress to take action against those he believes are undermining democracy. He emphasized the need to impeach and subpoena individuals “who are destroying what’s left of our fragile democracy.”

Addressing the irony in his position, he remarked, “I hope you all will forgive me in my, perhaps, weakness. It’s not vengefulness, but right is right.” He suggested that the justice system should have a consistent application of laws. For instance, he argued that a mother imprisoned for trying to provide her children with better educational opportunities should not be treated differently from someone like Jared Kushner. “If that makes me a conservative, gosh, but we need to send a message,” he added.

Attempts to reach out to Rabb’s campaign for additional comments were unsuccessful.

In response to his statements, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly described him as “clearly disturbed” and implied he should seek help. Kelly criticized Democrats, saying they had no agenda beyond attacking the President and obstructing his goals.

Rabb’s comments echo sentiments from other left-leaning politicians, including Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon, who has distanced herself from the socialist label while similarly advocating for the incarceration of her GOP opponent, Senator Ashley Moody. In a CNN interview, she stated, “Why would I want to do that when I want her locked up and punished in jail for what she has done?”

When directly asked if she wanted to see Moody jailed, Nixon confirmed, “Basically, yes. Because of what she did, yes. I absolutely would want that to happen. Yes.”