Posts also asserted Islam should be banned, labeled childless women ‘selfish’
The CNN KFile investigation, reported by The Guardian on Monday, examined old social media posts from accounts that appeared to belong to French. The findings build on intra-party criticism that had already emerged after French made a post that critics described as racist, a separate incident that prompted Cornyn and other Republicans to withdraw their support.
According to the CNN KFile team, French used an X account under the name “rwbofrench” in May 2020 to urge then-President Donald Trump to “hang” Obama-era officials whom French believed had been part of the “Russia hoax.” The messages followed Trump’s accusation that Obama administration officials had committed “treason” to dismiss reports that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to assist Trump. The reason the “rwbofrench” account was suspended is unclear.
In one of those posts, responding to Trump’s “Drain the Swamp” message, French wrote: “I agree. But you can not do that until your DOJ charges and prosecutes the treasonous bastards who spearheaded the Russia hoax. The death penalty for the Obama conspirators will be the only thing that pulls the stopper out of the drain. #HangEmHigh.” Minutes later, French responded to another user who accused Obama of running the Russian interference, writing: “The penalty for treason used to be death. Even for a former president. #HangEmHigh.”
The execution calls extended beyond the Obama-era targets. In a now-deleted February 2025 post on his current X account, then under the former handle Bo_French_TX, French wrote: “I want more than perp walks. I want public executions.” The post appeared in the context of government officials identified by Elon Musk’s Doge team, according to CNN. In another post that month, French called for the public execution of Schiff, the senator who had led the House committee that released the report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. It was unclear whether the most recent posts were deleted by French himself or by a member of his team.
Beyond the execution calls, the CNN investigation documented a broader pattern of controversial posts on French’s platform. Over the past year, he had used his account to assert that the entire religion of Islam should be banned; to claim that childless women were “selfish” and “responsible for the demise of our culture”; and to post a poll asking whether “Jews” or “Muslims” posed a bigger threat. The Guardian said it had asked French’s campaign for comment.
French faces criticism from members of his own party. Cornyn, one of Texas’s two US senators, said he would not support French in the upcoming election after French made a post that critics described as racist. Other Republicans followed with similar statements of opposition.