A Democratic congressman was caught looking at sexually explicit photos on a plane — openly enough that a nearby passenger saw it and was appalled. California Rep. Brad Sherman, 71, was photographed on a flight staring at photos of scantily clad women on his iPad — images that quickly spread across social media.
The X user who first posted the photos, which have now been viewed millions of times, wrote: “‘Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today?” “His district deserves better representation than this!!” the shocked passenger added. Sherman has since been slammed by several social media users.
Dirty Habit Exposed
X
The social media post included three photos of Sherman, who represents California’s 32nd district, with his mouth open as he appeared to gaze at images of models in revealing poses. Hours later, the congressman admitted in an interview that he had looked at the pictures, but claimed he was simply scrolling on his tablet and wasn’t intentionally viewing pornographic material.
“If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,” he told Punchbowl News.
Sherman explained that he was actually browsing X’s “For You” page when the photos were taken. “I must’ve looked at more than 1000 posts,” Sherman added.
According to X, the “For You” page shows posts that are “based on recommendations from accounts you follow or topics you’re interested in.”
Clarifying Himself
X
Sherman admitted that the sexualized images appeared on his X feed mid-flight “because of the algorithms.” “Is it pornography? I don’t think Elon Musk thinks so,” he told the outlet. At the same time, he admitted that he probably shouldn’t have been looking at the provocative photos.
“Is it appropriate? No,” Sherman added.
Social media users were shocked at the senior Democrat’s audacity, especially while on a crowded airplane. “With the screen brightness ALL the way up. Not an ounce of shame,” one user wrote on X.
Another added a facepalm emoji and said: “Get a privacy screen.” “This is killing me,” yet another person wrote.
The California lawmaker’s actions even drew attention from Trump’s inner circle. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, shared a close-up of Sherman with his mouth agape on Friday evening, captioning it: “Bruh. What a total gooner.”
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace drew a comparison to herself, recalling how she was accused last month of berating law enforcement at a South Carolina airport while being escorted to her gate.
She posted on X: “I don’t want to hear a single peep from anyone in/around Congress, or the media, [about] how I stroll through an airport ever again…”
