GOP Lawmaker Apologizes For Linking Obama To ISIL In Facebook Post

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A Republican lawmaker in Maine apologized on Monday for a Facebook post suggesting that President Obama has family ties to the Islamic State.

Earlier in March, State Sen. Michael Willette shared a post from Conservative News Daily, which included a photo of Obama and the caption, “Why haven’t I done anything about ISIS? Because I’ll deal with them at the family reunion,” according to a screenshot captured by the Portland Press Herald.

When he initially shared the post, Willette commented that he could not resist sharing the image about Obama.

“I’ve been very good over the last year and a half about not posting things about Obama, but this one was too good to pass up. I promise this will be the last one for some time,” he wrote.

Willette deleted the Facebook post and apologized on Monday, but he did not denounce the content of the post, according to Politico.

“I apologize for posting this on Facebook. Like too many people these days, I fell into the trap of posting something first and then thinking later. It was an error in judgment,” he said in a statement.

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  1. Once again, the non-apology apology. The local press and his Democratic colleagues in the State House need to call him out on this. And if I were the DNC et al, I would be pitching the cumulative collection of these incidents to TIME - perphaps the last relatively mass media that might be willing to shed light on this continuing and unprecedented denigration of the President.*

    It’s time to put this cast of characters on full display for the country to see.

    • I would also expect them to thoroughly review how Democratic elected officials and party leaders referred to GW Bush during his time in office, and be prepared to counter the “well the liberal media never covered it” backlash.
  2. Racist piece of excrement!

  3. This slob is actually proud of himself.

  4. Shouldn’t TPM once in a while post articles on thoughtful and compassionate statements that Republican lawmakers and party chairpersons have made as well as actions that reflect the intelligence behind those statements?

    Oh, you want new material? Something at least after 1978?

  5. It’s like coming into a room, taking a giant shit in the middle of the floor, leaving and then saying oopsie! about that shit I left; I went overboard with the bran muffins I ate last night.

    WTF.
    This guy took time and thought in posting what he did. What a coward to then turn around and blame “an error of judgment”. This guy is too old and is in a position where he must THINK before he acts. What he did was deliberate and his “apology” is bullshit. If he can’t act in a more grown up way, perhaps he needs to stay the fuck off of Facebook. And we should certainly expect better behavior from a state senator.

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