United Airlines has suspended a pilot who charged that Hillary Clinton should be “hung” for her use of a private email server as secretary of state.
In a tweet sent Sunday, the airline said it was “appalled” by the comments from Michael Folk, who also serves as a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
This pilot has been removed from flying pending our investigation. We are appalled by his threatening comments. https://t.co/H1teA2nqsj
— United (@united) July 17, 2016
United has also launched an investigation into Folk’s comments, which he made Friday on Twitter. In a tweet that has since been deleted, Folk said that Clinton should be tried for “treason, murder, and crimes against the US Constitution…then hung on the mall in Washington, D.C.,” according to the Associated Press.
Folk told the AP in a Sunday interview that he was being hyperbolic and could have stated his point “a little bit better.” He said his tweet was “clearly” not meant as an actual death threat against the Democratic presidential candidate.
The West Virginia Democratic Party urged Folk to resign from the House of Delegates over his remarks, according to Bloomberg Politics.
Some black guy made him say that stuff.
I won’t fly United until he’s fired. I won’t fly ANY airline that hires this guy, either.
His mouth must have been on right wing talking points auto-pilot.
As everyone here has stated, Rump has sounded a clarion call to all the unhinged racists who think they have the same liberty to spout insane, racist sh*t as Rump does. With no consequences.
Even if United doesn’t fire him outright (and they probably will because he’s expendable) it serves as a good warning to the rest in their fleet who feel the same way.
Everything this guy said could easily have come directly from Trump. Trump and his most devoted followers almost certainly approve.