Dem rep praises ‘brave’ Meryl Streep’s speech

A Democratic congressman is calling Meryl Streep “brave” and “right-on” for her anti-Donald Trump remarks at Sunday’s Golden Globes awards.

Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.) defended the Academy Award-winner’s controversial lifetime achievement acceptance speech, in which Streep, without naming him, blasted the president-elect.

Cohen tweeted to his more than 16,000 followers on Monday:

Quite a brave and right-on lady! #MerylStreep spoke about human beings respecting others and not belittling disabled! pic.twitter.com/aiiS6jxrm9

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) January 9, 2017

At a meeting with constituents on Monday, Cohen dubbed Streep’s comments “heroic,” according to the Commercial Appeal.

Upon receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the annual Golden Globes, Streep used her speech to rip Trump, criticizing the president-elect for appearing to mock a physically disabled reporter at a 2015 rally.

“This instinct to humiliate when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform — by someone powerful — it filters down into everybody’s life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing,” said Streep, who endorsed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and spoke at last year’s Democratic National Convention.

Cohen profusely praised Streep’s words:

Meryl Streep is wonderful .I also can’t get the picture of him mocking the “different” reporter.I hadn’t seen anyone do such since 5th grade https://t.co/n2E0Ou26Om

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) January 9, 2017

Cohen, 67, also knocked Trump, who in a Monday Twitter post denied mocking the New York Times reporter and called Streep “over-rated.”

Class act?Presidential?Not!this is like a child in fifth grade who mocks disabled kid and sticks his tongue out and goes,”nah ne nah ne nah” https://t.co/K7gxxbjx5g

— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) January 9, 2017

The White House also praised Streep’s speech on Monday, with press secretary Josh Earnest calling it “a thoughtful, carefully considered message.”