'We found some receipts': Eric Swalwell busts Ben Shapiro for downplaying Project 2025
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) called out conservative host Ben Shapiro for a history of anti-LGBT speech during testimony about Project 2025.
At a hearing on media "collusion" on Wednesday, Swalwell asked Shapiro about his support for the controversial right-wing plan known as Project 2025, which aims to reshape the country with conservative values if former President Donald Trump is reelected.
"I think it is important that you're here as one of the leading conservative voices in the country," Swalwell told Shapiro. "And the country has, in the last couple of weeks, talked a lot about and Googled Project 2025. It's one of the most Googled search terms right now."
For his part, Shapiro sought to make a joke out of the question by downplaying Project 2025.
"I think, like President Trump, I haven't looked all that deeply at Project 2025, but it seems that Democrats on this committee, sort of like Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, if they say Project 2025 enough, their presidential candidate becomes alive again," Shapiro said.
Swalwell pressed the conservative host on the tenets of the plan.
"How about banning the abortion pill? That's part of Project 2025. Do you support that part?" the lawmaker asked.
"I'm a fully pro-life person, which means that I'm not in favor of the distribution of the abortion pill," Shapiro admitted.
He also said he agreed with the move to ban same-sex marriage.
"But you think it's a sin to have same-sex marriage?" Swalwell pressed. "I'm just asking, is it a sin to be gay?"
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"From a religious Jewish perspective, orientation is not a sin, but activity is," Shapiro replied.
"And just because we found some receipts, you did say, I think homosexual activity is a sin," Swalwell remarked as he presented a quote from Shapiro.
"Yes, I'm a religious Jew," Shapiro quipped. "You found me out."
"And you said, I may have a desire to sleep with many women, but I do not," Swalwell added.
"I agree with me," Shapiro said.
"I'm sure it's very hard to restrain yourself," Swalwell remarked.