It has become a hard and fast rule in 21st century American politics that when Republicans accuse Democrats of criminal, salacious or corrupt behavior, it’s a “tell” that they are engaged in the same behavior – and then some.

It’s called “projecting,” and Republicans have been doing it for years. According to Psychology Today, “Projection is a defense mechanism commonly used by abusers, including people with narcissistic or borderline personality disorder and addicts.” It is no surprise then that Republicans’ projection strategy was perfected during the regime of Donald Trump, the ultimate toxic narcissist.

Like psychological projection, political projection attributes the accusers’ worst impulses onto their opponents. Case in point, Republicans have recently begun parroting their small but apparently influential Qanon base by accusing Democrats of grooming children for sex. The political aim behind these smears is to scare suburban moms who voted for Obama and then Trump and then Biden to vote for GQP candidates this November and in 2024.

In spreading their lies about grooming, however, Republicans are projecting one of their most glaring character flaws onto Democrats. The unpleasant fact that they’re trying to deflects is that they are the party of rampant pedophilia. Republicans believe they can get away with this scam because they know right-wing propaganda outlets like Fox will never mention their party leaders’ record of child sex abuse – and they can count on the trusty lamestream media to ignore it. That means its up to the rest of us to get the word out.

The following list of Republican sex abusers could be a start. It includes a Republican former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, a Republican former U.S. senator and governor of South Carolina, a Republican former congressman, a Trump campaign state chairman, Republican state legislators, a Republican judge, Republican mayors, Republican fundraisers, Republican political activists, Republican preachers and right-wing radio propagandists.

The ” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>genesis of this list was found on Reddit. We’ll continue to add to it as more cases are uncovered. Please feel free to suggest additions to the list in the comments, and, as always, send us corrections at the “Contact” link in the main menu.

1. New York Times: Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was indicted on federal charges of structuring bank withdrawals after prosecutors alleged Hastert had molested at least four boys as young as 14 and attempted to compensate his victims and subsequently conceal the transactions. Hastert eventually admitted that he sexually abused the boys whom he had coached decades earlier, and was sentenced to fifteen months in prison.
2. Cincinatti.com: Republican Tim Nolan, chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in Kentucky, pled guilty to child sex trafficking and on February 11, 2018 he was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison.
3. Business Insider: Florida Republicans accepted donations from ex-congressman [Mark Foley] who sent lewd messages to underage boys even as party’s right wing crusades against ‘grooming,’
4. Washington Post: Republican state Senator Ralph Shortey was indicted on four counts of human trafficking and child pornography. In November 2017, he pleaded guilty to one count of child sex trafficking in exchange for the dropping of the other charges.
5. Washington Post: Republican Minnesota State Representative Jim Knoblach Drops Out Of Race After Daughter Says He Molested Her For More Than Ten Years.
6. Florida Department of Law Enforcement: Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
7. Lantern Project: Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
8. Pocono Record: Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
9. Wikipedia: Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.
10. Wikipedia: Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.
11. Easy Reader News: Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.
12. Wikipedia: Republican Senator Strom Thurmond, a notable racist, had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.
13. New York Times: Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.
14. New York Times: Republican Congressman Donald “Buz” Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.
15. Washington Post: Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.
16. New Black Magazine: Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.
17. West Word: Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child.
18. Wikipedia: Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.
19. New York Times: Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.
20. Wikipedia: Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.
21. New Jersey Herald: Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.
22. Arkansas Times: Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. “Republican Marty”), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
23. New York Times: Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.
24. Daily Pennsylvanian: Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.
25. Houston Press: Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.
26. Cult Education Institute: Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.
27. Southeast Missourian: Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.
28. Arkansas Times: Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.
29. Chattanoogan: Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).
30. Wikipedia: Republican Kentucky state Representative & pastor Dan Johnson, who committed suicide after an exposé revealed his serial lies, suspected arson, criminal church, racism, accused rape of a teen, and more.