Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, appears to have a sudden interest in couches and sofas.
What started out as a mischievous fake post by a social media prankster went on to provoke a flurry of viral memes and provide salacious material for late-night talk show hosts, and now it has seemingly infiltrated the upper echelons of U.S. Congress.
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The fake rumor involved another high-ranking politician, Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance. A July 15 post on X suggested the Republican golden boy wrote in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy that he once had sex with his couch. That was untrue—the relevant passage in the book referred to his time at Ohio State University.
But the sofa story refuses to lie down.
In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday night, Himes referenced “comments about couches and sofas with the vice president” as examples to “highlight” how young people “for the first time in many, many months are actually engaged and excited about this election.”
Himes didn’t mention Vance by name, but the reference didn’t go unnoticed.
A clip of the congressman’s comments was posted on X by Ryan Lizza, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent, with his own remark: “The ranking Dem on House Intel sneaks in a reference to the online discourse about ‘couches and sofas.’”
“Kaitlin’s composure said one thing, her eyebrows another,” quipped another X user.
The internet has had a field day with “couches and sofas” memes, with a Craigslist user even posting for sale: “JD VANCE’S USED COUCH!!!”
Vance has kept a dignified silence throughout, although he did suggest that Democrats thought everything was racist, even drinking diet Mountain Dew. Himes was clearly unimpressed. He posted a clip of Vance’s rally appearance with a dismissive: “Not a serious person.”
