Democrat Admits Viewing Explicit Images During Flight After Viral Photos

A Democratic lawmaker is facing a firestorm of public outrage after being caught openly browsing sexually explicit images during a commercial flight — behavior that stunned passengers and quickly ignited a social media uproar.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), 71, was photographed staring at his iPad as images of scantily clad women filled his screen. The pictures — three in total — show the congressman with his mouth hanging open as he viewed the sexualized content, prompting immediate questions about his judgment and professionalism.

The X user who first posted the photos demanded accountability.
“Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today?” the user wrote.
“His district deserves better representation than this!!”

The images spread widely across social platforms, becoming a viral embarrassment for the longtime Democratic representative.

After hours of online backlash, Sherman admitted that he had been looking at the images but tried to downplay the incident by suggesting he was merely scrolling through his feed.

“If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,” Sherman told Punchbowl News, conceding that he had viewed the content.

Sherman claimed he was scrolling through X’s “For you” page at the time and was not intentionally seeking explicit material.
He insisted he “must’ve looked at more than 1000 posts.”

The “For you” tab, according to X, displays algorithmically recommended posts based on a user’s interests and online behavior — a detail that sparked even more discussion about what kind of content Sherman’s browsing habits might be generating.

Sherman argued the sexualized images only appeared “because of the algorithms,” and dismissed the suggestion the photos constituted explicit content.
“Is it pornography? I don’t think Elon Musk thinks so,” he said.

Still, the congressman acknowledged the poor optics of viewing sexually charged images in full public view on a packed airplane.
“Is it appropriate? No,” Sherman admitted.

Critics across social media lambasted Sherman for showing such carelessness — particularly with his screen brightness fully visible to an entire cabin of passengers.

“With the screen brightness ALL the way up. Not an ounce of shame,” one user wrote.

Another quipped simply: “Get a privacy screen.”

A third posted a facepalm emoji followed by, “This is killing me.”

The photos also caught the attention of figures aligned with President Donald J. Trump, who pointed to the incident as yet another example of declining standards within the Democratic Party.

Sherman responded to the mounting criticism by abruptly pivoting to an unrelated demand, calling on the administration to “release the Epstein Files,” a deflection that only fueled more mockery online.