Congressman Jerry Carl, R-Alabama, on a recent podcast ripped into Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, for his comments disparaging the Alabama Farmers Federation after the group endorsed his opponent, Katie Britt.
“Entities like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Alabama, ALFA or any other agricultural political union around the country” are responsible for America’s immigration issues, Brooks said during an interview on the Sean Sullivan Show in Mobile.
“They often refer to themselves as farmers bureaus,” Brooks said. “They want cheap foreign labor crossing our borders. And so they have got a lot of money and they try to elect candidates. They try to ensure that their candidates for open borders get elected. So you have them on the one hand coupled by the socialist Democrats who seek political power. They think the best way to ensure power is to import people.”
ALFA’s political arm, FarmPAC, recently endorsed Britt over Brooks. All three organizations have said they’re against “open borders,” either on their websites or in statements. ALFA’s PAC also endorsed Gov. Kay Ivey, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, Congressmen Barry Moore, Robert Aderholt, Mike Rogers, Jerry Carl, Gary Palmer and several other Alabama Republicans.
Carl explained on the FM Talk 1065 podcast Friday that Brooks’ comments are a reaction to ALFA endorsing Britt.
“They obviously see something there. More in Katie and less in Mo,” Carl said of ALFA’s endorsement. “They’ve actually changed horses here. They took a better candidate.”
“I don’t know where Mo Brooks gets this stuff from,” Carl continued. “I realize it’s all politics. I get that. I have to deal with that on a daily basis, but to throw his colleagues under the bus the way he’s thrown us under the bus – and the American families here in Alabama. You don’t get any more rooted, pardon the pun, than our farm community.”
Carl said he’d previously told Brooks and Britt that he planned to stay out of their U.S. Senate race, but said “Brooks is not giving us any room here.”
“You can’t take things like ALFA and try to make something evil out of them because you didn’t get their endorsement,” Carl said.
Carl said Brooks is making every elected official in his state furious.
“He’s isolating us and trying to label us as being something evil for his political gain,” Carl continued.
Carl said he’s fought harder “for the borders” than he has for any single other issue.
“We all have, across the board. Every congressman in this state has done that,” Carl said. “I just don’t get it where politics take over where your heart truly is. I’m just not one of those types of people. I don’t want to be elected so bad that I’m willing to burn every bridge behind me to get there.”
Carl said Alabama’s farm community needs as many immigrant workers with green cards who can come and work the state’s farms as they can get, and said when their seasonal jobs are over, those workers go home.
“They rent houses. They spend on food here. They’re part of the community for three or four months, then they go home,” Carl said.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth criticized Brooks for his comments in a tweet.
“The men and women represented by ALFA are some of the finest people in our state, and I’m proud to carry their support,” said Alabama’s Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth in a tweet. “Anyone who attacks and criticizes family farmers, or minimizes challenges they face, does not speak for me or the majority of Alabamians.”
