A Republican state official in Texas posted a tweet Tuesday of a poll showing Donald Trump in the lead in Pennsylvania against Hillary Clinton.
But, rather than refer to Clinton by her name, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller referred to her by one word: “cunt.”
Miller tweeted a Pennsylvania Auto Alliance poll showing Trump up 44-43 in the state when he used the term to refer to Clinton, according to screenshots of the tweet. The tweet was deleted within 15 minutes, according to The Texas Tribune:
Apparently @MillerForTexas deleted his tweet using the c-word. No worries, we have screenshots/receipts. pic.twitter.com/IbVntgI7uY
— Marissa Evans (@marissaaevans) November 1, 2016
A spokesperson for Miller claimed to the San Antonio Express News that the tweet was the result of a hack.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of it. We think we’ve been hacked,” Mark Loeffler, communications director for the Texas Department of Agriculture, told the newspaper.
A spokesperson for Miller first claimed to the San Antonio Express News that the tweet was the result of a hack, an unnamed staffer told Dallas News reporter Lauren McGaughy that the tweet was a result of a staffer copying and pasting the tweet without vetting it.
Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek seemed to get a third story from the office, saying that tweet was retweeted without being looked at properly. According to the screenshot, the tweet was sent directly from Miller’s account, not retweeted.
New statement from Sid Miller’s office abandons the hack defense: pic.twitter.com/pOGcHGd8lv
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) November 1, 2016
Miller’s account finally attempted to set the record straight in a series of three tweets, apologizing for the term and again pinning the blame on a staffer “retweeting” a tweet without vetting it.
The campaign was retweeting information on Twitter today and inadvertently retweeted a tweet that they were not aware contained a derogatory
— Sid Miller (@MillerForTexas) November 1, 2016
term. The tweet was taken down as soon as possible.
— Sid Miller (@MillerForTexas) November 1, 2016
Commissioner Miller finds the term vulgar and offensive and apologizes to anyone who may have seen it.
— Sid Miller (@MillerForTexas) November 1, 2016
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) denounced the tweet in a statement obtained by McGaughy.
Texas Gov. @GregAbbott_TX just sent this statement out about Sid Miller tweet: “No true Texas gentleman would ever talk this way.”#txlege pic.twitter.com/X7ljQUiLG1
— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) November 1, 2016
Last week Miller mocked a WikiLeaks email that appeared to show Clinton staffers vetting a tweet to be sent from the campaign’s account. Miller said that he didn’t need a dozen people to check his tweets, as his thoughts were all his own.
#CrookedHillary needs a dozen people to check her tweets. My thoughts are my own. Healthy as a bull here. #wikileaks pic.twitter.com/1szpSDGFh8
— Sid Miller (@MillerForTexas) October 28, 2016
Miller lists himself as a “deplorable” in his Twitter bio, referencing support for Trump. His account has continued to post tweets since deleting one touting the Pennsylvania Auto Alliance poll, although these are free of obscenity.
This post has been updated.
Wow! It wasn’t Rob Morrow! I just lost a bet with myself.
OK Kellyanne…come on out and tell us how this MISOGYNY is out of line and how you just don’t ACCEPT that it’s part of your supporters psyche. BS.
What was it Obama just said about sexism being the order of the day from GOPers once HRC was elected? Guess that sounded so good to this knucklehead he couldn’t wait. Gonna be a long four/eight years.
Did Trump re-tweet it yet?
Wow. This ‘economic anxiety’ is really something.