‘Maga American’ tells Jamie Raskin God gave him cancer as punishment

Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin had an unpleasant encounter with a MAGA supporter following the failed House speaker vote on Tuesday.

During a round of press interviews outside Congress, the Maryland congressman was approached by a man who allegedly described himself as a “Maga American”.

The man told Mr Raskin, who is battling lymphoma, that God had punished him by giving him cancer.

The man also allegedly told Mr Raskin he was on the “wrong side of history“ and should “repent,” before walking off.

Mr Raskin had a lighthearted response to the man’s remarks, telling a group of journalists: “Welcome to my world.”

Mr Raskin previously revealed that he was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2022.

The Maryland Congressman, who played a prominent role in the January 6 House committee investigation into the Capitol riots, said in a statement it was a “serious but curable form of cancer”.

“After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,” Mr Raskin said at the time.

He said he would continue to work in Congress while receiving chemo-immunotherapy treatment, but was told by doctors to try to limit his exposure to Covid-19 and other viruses.

“Prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment,” he said. “I plan to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy.”

Mr Raskin previously battled colorectal cancer in 2010.

The encounter happened after the lawmaker cast his vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as House speaker.

Republicans remain divided over who should do the top job and are struggling to get GOP nominee Rep Jim Jordan past the 217-vote threshold.

Ultimately, no one was elected during Tuesday’s vote after 20 Republicans voted against Mr Jordan.

The vote came as the House marked two weeks since Rep Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate, which led to seven other Republicans and every Democratic representative present to depose former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Mr McCarthy was stripped of his title after he helped to avert a government shutdown by approving stopgap legislation to keep the government running for the next 45 days.

Far-right Republicans refused to vote for legislation to prevent a government shutdown unless funding for Kyiv was withdrawn.

While the last-minute spending bill eventually passed, it did not include aid for Ukraine.

Speaking after yesterday’s vote, Mr Raskin said: “We need to get strategic, military, economic assistance to our Democratic allies in Ukraine, in Israel, and it’s just absurd that the GOP has plunged us into this chaos.”

Mr Raskin was one of nine members who served on the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot, which released its final report into the 2021 insurrection.

He was also a lead manager on Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in January 2021, and is the Democrats ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.