Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, announces a $180,000 grant for a community center in his district. Image by flickr

(JTA) — On Wednesday, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif, attended a classified briefing with Vice President Mike Pence on the North Korea nuclear threat.

By the next day, he’d become a target of Twitter snark, for a hypothetical challenge that sounded like something out of a Seth Rogen-James Franco movie.

Sherman, who comes from what he will tell you is the best-named city in the world, Sherman Oaks, California, was not reassured by his meeting with Pence. “At classified briefing @VP urged members to ‘convey the Administration’s level of resolve to confront N. Korea,’” Sherman reported Thursday on Twitter. “That resolve is weak, phony.”

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And so, Sherman explained his anxieties to Pence.

“I raised two issues: No. Korea could smuggle nuke into U.S. rather than use ICBM. Could smuggle inside a bale of marijuana, and might sell nukes to Iran, which has billions of hard currency. Waiting for answers…”

I raised two issues: No. Korea could smuggle nuke into U.S. rather than use ICBM. Could smuggle inside a bale of marijuana….(1/2)

— Rep. Brad Sherman (@BradSherman) April 27, 2017

Sherman got answers, stat, but not from Pence — as far as we know.

No, Twitterworld liked Sherman’s idea — lots — but also mocked the lawmaker for what might one day be optioned as “Brad and Kumar go to the DMZ.”

@BradSherman What about invisibility cloaks? Of course a simple spell could take care of that. But a counter-spell would overturn it. DM to join my club.

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) April 27, 2017

@BradSherman Hi Rep. Sherman. I’m writing a story about people holding elected office despite having the IQ of a houseplant. May I use this tweet?

— Aaron ⭐️? (@AaronCampeau) April 27, 2017

@BradSherman Any idiot knows they would smuggle a nuke in a box marked “Acme!”

— Palmetto Progress (@PalmettoProgres) April 27, 2017

By Thursday’s end, Sherman tried to explain that he didn’t really think one could smuggle a nuke into the United States packed in weed, but that he was trying to make a point. “I don’t believe that NK is likely to send a bomb in weed,” he said. “People sneak things into the U.S. every day. Can’t rely solely on missile defense.”

Too late.

@BradSherman Likely? No. AWESOME plot for that “Rep. Chad Terman: American Superspy” novel you’ve been working on? Yes!

— Ben Hooper (@BenHooperWrites) April 28, 2017

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