GOP County Official In Georgia Calls John Lewis A ‘Racist Pig’

Panel testifying before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of US Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican of Alabama) to be Attorney General of the United States on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC... Panel testifying before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of US Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican of Alabama) to be Attorney General of the United States on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNPUnited States Representative John Lewis (Democrat of Georgia) testifys before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee against the nomination of US Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican of Alabama) to be Attorney General of the United States on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo by: Ron Sachs/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

A member of the board of commissioners in Gwinnett County, Georgia–the second most populous county in the state–called civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) a “racist pig” in a Facebook post Saturday after Lewis said he didn’t consider President-elect Donald Trump to be a “legitimate” president.

In posts unearthed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tommy Hunter, a Republican county commissioner, also referred to Lewis’ party as “Demonrats” and “a bunch of idiots.”

“John Lewis is a racist pig,” one post begins. “There ain’t political pundit that didn’t say on November 9 that this would be Demonrats’ EXACT response to Trump winning.”

On Friday, Lewis said he did not consider Trump a “legitimate” president, and that he would not attend the presidential inauguration. He justified his decision by saying that a Russian “conspiracy” had damaged Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and helped Trump’s.

Trump, the next day, called Lewis “all talk,” and insulted Lewis’ congressional district on Twitter.

Hunter weighed in on the controversy on his Facebook, screenshots of which were capture by the Journal-Constitution:

Though Gwinnett County is at certain points just a couple miles away from Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, which Lewis represents, the Journal-Constitution noted that Hunter represents a district in the eastern end of the county, miles away from Atlanta.

Hunter later said in a Facebook message to the Journal-Constitution that calling Lewis a “racist pig” was “probably an overreaction out of aggravation.”

“While I am grateful for what the Congressman did in Selma and other times during the civil rights movement, you get respect by showing respect,” Hunter said. “He is using his fame as a way to continually divide the races and in this case standing on the very much unsubstantiated claim that the guy I voted for [Trump] is racist and only won because of Russians hacking the election—which, of course, we all know didn’t occur.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for sara sara says:

    While I am grateful for what the Congressman did in Selma and other times during the civil rights movement, you get respect by showing respect,” Hunter said.

    This right here is the root of so many a Trumpkin problem. In fact, you get respect by EARNING it. Not demanding it, not whining for it, not threatening for it. FFS.

  2. And again … for contrast —

  3. FOX: We have so many new faces vying for GOP leadership. So white and pure. Tommy Hunter will make a great POTUS. In the meantime, he can have a show on FOX.

  4. "You get respect by showing respect,” Hunter said.

    Which is why he called Rep. Lewis a “racist pig.”

    Now let us remember that Tommy Boy is NOT a Rush-quoting, racist cracker.

  5. Ha, I don’t know who wrote the walk back but it “ain’t” the same guy who wrote the FB messages.
    They expect me to believe a man who uses the word "ain’t’ also uses the word “occur”. Yeah, right.

    edited for correction by tiowally.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

153 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for marby Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for chammy Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for trumpdog Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for boscobrown Avatar for inversion Avatar for nemo Avatar for cletus Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for tena Avatar for henk Avatar for jonney_5 Avatar for antisachetdethe Avatar for tiowally Avatar for dannysgrandma Avatar for clare Avatar for drtv

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: