Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) speaks during a news conference about Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on Capitol Hill July 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. Source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Watch: Out California Rep. Robert Garcia Presents Case Against Trump with 'Real Housewives' Blueprint

Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the gay congressman serving California's 42nd District, is going viral in a video that puts it all together in a fiery indictment of Donald Trump... and riffs on an iconic moment by "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Heather Gay.

"Garcia went viral after a clip of him was shared on social media, where he quoted Gay during a pivotal scene in the show's Season 4 finale," Deadline detailed.

"And what do we have as Democrats? We have receipts. Proof. A timeline. Screenshots," Garcia declared.

"We have everything we need to prove conclusively that foreign governments were funneling money through Trump Properties and into Donald Trump's pockets, all in violation of the Constitution," the congressman declared.

Garcia's forceful declarations echoed Gay's epic speech point by point. Deadline recalled that Gay's jeremiad took place when "Gay confront[ed] fellow housewife Monica Garcia after learning she was running a fan account about the Bravo reality series that exposed the stars she was now trying to befriend."

Garcia's viral moment is gaining traction even as House Republicans look for something to pin on President Joe Biden. Those efforts have ensnared President Biden's son, Hunter.

"Republicans are targeting [Hunter] Biden as part of attempts to portray his father as corrupt and secure his impeachment, as an expected election rematch with Donald Trump looms," UK newspaper the Guardian summarized. "Republicans have however presented no evidence that Joe Biden profited from his son's dealings."

They have, however, presented salacious material during official proceedings, the Guardian noted, with extreme-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene having during "a previous hearing showed what appeared to be a sexually explicit picture of [Hunter] Biden," the newspaper recalled.

Hunter Biden caused consternation when he appeared at a Jan. 10 hearing "as Republicans on the US House oversight committee convened to consider a resolution to hold the president's son in contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with a subpoena for testimony," the Guardian recounted.

It was against this political backdrop that Rep. Garcia's video took off.

Efforts by House Republicans to scare up damaging material on President Biden, and ongoing impeachment proceedings against him despite a lack of any evidence of wrongdoing on Biden's part, are widely viewed as being carried out in retribution for Donald Trump's two impeachments, which were triggered by well-documented episodes of conduct Democrats called out as unethical, if not illegal. Trump's first impeachment, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, followed the then-president having apparently indicated he would provide already-approved aid to Ukraine if president Volodymyr Zelenskyy supplied damaging material to Trump concerning Hunter Biden's business dealings in the country.

Trump's second impeachment, on a charge of incitement of insurrection, followed his rhetoric on January 6, 2021, just before a mob of armed rioters beat Capitol police officers, interrupted the certification of Biden's win from the 2020 election, sent lawmakers scurrying for cover, and inflicted millions of dollars of damage to the Capitol building. After telling the mob to "fight like hell," Trump retired to the White House to watch the mayhem on television. It was not until hours later that the then-president sent out social media messages instructing his followers to leave the Capitol.

Since then, Trump has attempted to rewrite history, repeating lies about the 2020 election, which he insists, contrary to all evidence, was "stolen" from him. In his bid to regain the presidency in this year's elections, Trump has promised to use federal law enforcement to punish and arrest political opponents, to pardon perpetrators in the January 6 insurrection, and rule as a "day one 'dictator,'" among other promises of "retribution."


by Kilian Melloy , EDGE Staff Reporter

Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.

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