Former Starbucks CEO and potential 2020 independent presidential candidate Howard Schultz — or at least, the Twitter account belonging to Schultz — deleted a tweet on Wednesday that linked to an article mocking two Democratic presidential hopefuls.
“Thank you @rogerlsimon for a thoughtful analysis of what’s possible. #ReimagineUS” Schultz — or at least, his account — tweeted. Within hours, it was gone.
The article in question, “Howard Schultz Could Actually Win the Presidency,” referred to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) as a “shrill (see the Kavanaugh hearings) quasi-socialist” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as “Fauxcahontas.”
An unnamed “adviser to Schultz” cryptically told The Washington Post that, in the Post’s words, “the former executive was not personally responsible for sending the message.”
Asked if he realized the author of the article had included the language about Harris and Warren, Schultz told CNN Wednesday, “No, I did not.”
“I don’t want to get into revenge politics, which has obviously been the problem that I’m identifying,” he said.