Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Claims She ‘Misspoke’ After Delivering Bizarre Speech About the Moon Being a ‘Planet’ Made Up ‘Mostly of Gases’
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) claimed she “misspoke” on Tuesday after delivering a speech to school children about the Moon being a “planet” which was “made up mostly of gases.”
During a speech at Houston’s Booker T. Washington High School ahead of the solar eclipse on Monday, Jackson Lee said:
A full moon is that complete rounded circle which is made up mostly of gases, and that’s why the question is why or how could we as humans live on the Moon? Are the gases such that we could do that? The Sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the Sun. The Moon is more manageable, and you will see in a moment– not a moment, you will see in a couple of years that NASA is going back to the Moon.
As the speech went on, Jackson Lee continued, “I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the Moon,” before adding, “That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly.”
After clips of the bizarre speech went viral on social media, the congresswoman issued a statement claiming to have “misspoke” with her remarks.
“Obviously I misspoke and meant to say the sun, but as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters,” she claimed. “What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity!”
Social media users were quick to point out that had she been referring to the Sun instead, her remarks still would not have made any sense.
Jackson Lee is no stranger to gaffes and the congresswoman has a long history of making headlines over blunders.
In December, Jackson Lee put out an ad urging her supporters to vote on the wrong day, while in 2022, she told MSNBC, “It is very well documented that words nowadays can actually break your bones.”
The congresswoman even has a history of making mistakes when talking about the Moon.
In 1997, while serving as a member of the House Science Committee, Jackson Lee asked whether the Mars Pathfinder rover had succeeded in taking a photo of Neil Armstrong’s U.S. flag, which was planted on the Moon in 1969.
