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A Texas Republican city council candidate is facing felony child pornography charges after being arrested just hours before the elections.

Brad Benson, a candidate for Place #4 on the city council of Granbury, located just southwest of Fort Worth, was arrested on November 6. "I can confirm he was arrested by the District Attorney's Office yesterday and charged with two felony child pornography charges, he should have a bond set today," Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds told Newsweek.

The Republican Party of Hood County (RPHC) withdrew its support for Benson after more details about the charges emerged.

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[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 208 points 1 year ago

Yet another not a drag queen caught

[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

He’s a gay man, I’m sure the right will use this to fuel their bullshit argument that gay people are pedos.

[-] Adori@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They are just rlly hard to catch, they run rlly fast /s

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[-] mibo80@lemm.ee 115 points 1 year ago

Always a Republican/Conservative. I wonder what the odds are this guy still wins.

[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago

This will probable earn him even more votes.

[-] mibo80@lemm.ee 26 points 1 year ago

"Sounds like leftist spin. He just loves the children!" - Avg. Texan Republican voter.

[-] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

We all prefer he "love the children" from behind bars under 24/7 armed guard.

[-] gwildors_gill_slits@lemmy.ca 93 points 1 year ago

The Republican Party of Hood County (RPHC) withdrew its support for Benson after more details about the charges emerged.

Honestly, this is the most shocking part

[-] phar@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 year ago

You know they had to think about it for a while, they didn't just make that call immediately

[-] jasondj@ttrpg.network 20 points 1 year ago

That’s what they said. “After more details emerged”.

As in the initial story came out, RPHC just said “now hold on there, this may not be that bad. Let’s just see how it plays out”.

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[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 75 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Repub plot lines getting repetitive AF. Where’s that guy that posts that long-ass list of republican perverts?

[-] modifier@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago

Did they make it over to Lemmy? If not, someone may have to take up the mantle.

[-] eran_morad@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Coulda swore I’ve seen him here somewhere.

[-] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago

Wait is this one of those gay democrat drag queens?

[-] badbytes@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago

A GOP member, a Catholic priest, and a boy scout walk into a bar. I mean daycare.

[-] Seventhlevin@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

A GOP member, priest, and serial child rapist walks into a bar. He sits down and says "One drink please. "

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[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago

His website: https://www.bradbenson.org/about

I’m sure the right will basically blame this on him being a gay man.

I am not your ordinary political candidate, however. Besides being a long time Granbury resident and business owner, I’m a genuine conservative, both fiscally and ideologically. That said, I am also a gay man with a partner of nearly 10 years. He’s as conservative as I am—both of us believing that private lives should remain private. I strongly believe that sexuality is a topic that should be handled within your own family, not in public schools or flaunted in parades.

I’m a graduate of Tarleton State University; My Bachelors degree is in Management with a Masters of Public Administration currently in process at Tarleton. I never expected to “need” a college degree in life, but as I’ve aged, I have found it does open doors. Going back to college to work on my masters has been eye opening and challenging, but it’s a personal goal that I intend to complete.

I regularly attend Stonewater Church in Granbury and participate in small groups. A leap of faith by both the Bensons and the Whites back in about 2004 made our movie theater Stonewater’s first real home, supercharged the church’s growth, and both still have a strong "synergy" with each other today!

Away from the fire department, church, and work, my interests and hobbies include the lake (recently having tried wake surfing), hunting, fishing, spending time with my Labrador Brody, and movies (of course!) I am a commercial pilot and flight instructor and spent many past summers flying small planes around Alaska. I have many wild tales and a few close calls from those adventurous times--flying hunters, miners, and tourists around the Last Frontier and the highest mountain on the continent: Denali.

[-] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 year ago

I am a gay man

sexuality shouldn't be flaunted in parades

just on websites?

come on man, if a "parade" is flaunting, so is a fucking website. have some fucking consistency in your ass backwards shit for brains beliefs

[-] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 13 points 1 year ago

First of all, fuck that guy.

But a parade is pretty much the definition of flaunting. It's intentionally in your face and hard to ignore, unlike a web site. It's entirely justified flaunting IMHO, and also not what homophobes are generally referring to when they accuse LGBT+ people of flaunting their sexuality, but I don't see what's gained by saying it's not flaunting.

[-] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago

I'd argue that writing something unencrypted and ungated on a website for the purpose of someone else to read meets a certain definition of "flaunt."

It's a different kind, but also - unless you carry a sign with your name on it, being in a parade is anonymous, this was "flaunted" on a site directly related to this person and their political career, so the expectation is for it to be publicly available and to be read by others by the author - again, a different but valid definition of "flaunt."

[-] QHC@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

I'm sure he is equally disgusted by the displays of heterosexuality in most parades, or maybe he is blind to that because that's "normal".

[-] Nougat@kbin.social 23 points 1 year ago

I strongly believe that sexuality is a topic that should be handled within your own family, not in public schools or flaunted in parades.

Really? Really??

[-] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 year ago

No worries, I’m sure he handled all the CSAM in the privacy of his own home. That counts, right? /s

[-] FReddit@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

As long as there is parental supervision. /S

[-] squiblet@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Sure. When it's just another hetero Republican guy with a beard who commits a crime, they completely ignore it. If they can score points because someone who commits a crime is gay, liberal or trans, they'll act as if those are the only people who ever commit whatever crime.

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[-] squiblet@kbin.social 23 points 1 year ago

arrested just hours before the elections

?? But Trumpie said you CAN'T get prosecuted for anything when you're running for office! Election Interference!!

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[-] thorbot@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

Average Republican Politician

[-] Emerald@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

They are pretty obsessed with kids genetalia.

[-] elbarto777@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

All of a sudden, them being anti abortion makes sense!

[-] Narrrz@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago

republican voters be like: that cinches it. he's got my vote

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Looks like the qtards have studiously been looking everywhere but inside their own house.

[-] norbert@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

Wonder who owns a pizza parlor with a basement, we should probably check them out just to be safe.

[-] rez_doggie@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

At this point, every republican should already be on a watch list.

[-] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago

HeS aNtIfA!- Jim Bob Smith, Slack-jawed yokel

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Even as dumb as many of the base are, I still think it is very telling that the right has made being, ahem, against fascism a bad thing.

[-] iquanyin@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

surprise! repressed guy with no empathy does crimes against small people.

[-] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's a city council election... which is why the headline isn't specific.

Is it newsworthy? Yes

Is this post title intentionally vague because most people won't read the article and will assume it's at LEAST a mayoral or state congressmen? Yes

[-] modifier@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 year ago

Unless someone lives in this district and is personally affected by the particulars of how the election will be handled, why does it matter whether it's city council, or school board, or county government, or state, or federal?

I'm at a loss trying to understand your central point. I don't want to put words in your mouth but I'm getting the vibe that the point is it's "only" city council.

That's significant though, you see. It's at this level of government that a lot of the harmful rhetoric is playing out about transgender folk being groomers and pedos; a message proclaimed loudly by a certain type of republican.

Conservatives keep getting twisted out of shape about people that look and love differently having equal rights to them, meanwhile keep electing pedos, philanderers, rapists, and many of the other qualities they project onto others.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 6 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


A Texas Republican city council candidate is facing felony child pornography charges after being arrested just hours before the elections.

"The executive committee has conferred, spoken with law enforcement, confirmed more substantial information, and unanimously withdraws their support for Mr. Benson," the statement added.

"We sincerely hope that the grace and peace of our merciful God comes upon all the children and families involved and that healing, repentance, and restoration will be seen in personal lives, along with our beloved community."

According to the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), in 2022 there were 41 child pornography offenders in the Northern District of Texas where Granbury is located.

"I pray for all the children who may have been hurt as a result of Brad Benson's actions if true," said Charles Beard, an army veteran who is standing for Place 4 on the city council.

Rhonda Williams, who is standing in the separate November 7 Granbury ISD school board election, said of the allegations: "As a mom and grandmother, my heart is broken for all the innocent children hurt by this, if the charges are true.


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this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2023
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