NJ School Official Said His Life ‘Would Be Complete’ If Rep. Rashida Tlaib Died

US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, questions US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July ... US Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, questions US Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 18, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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A New Jersey school board official is under fire after his hateful Facebook posts about Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Muslims in general were recently discovered.

Daniel Leonard, an elected school board member of the Toms River Regional Schools district, posted a photo of Tlaib in April captioned with “my life would be complete if she/they die.”

Other posts included an image of “Sharia Barbie,” a doll wearing a hijab with bruises all over her face, and an article of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) labeling her a “terrorist…100%”

(Screenshots courtesy of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations)

CAIR-NJ executive director James Sues told TPM that the organization received the screenshots of Leonard’s posts anonymously on Tuesday.

Now CAIR is calling for Leonard’s ouster.

“The bigoted, hateful and threatening social media posts shared by this elected board of education official serve to disqualify him for any position that has responsibility for the safety, security and well-being of New Jersey’s diverse student body,” Sues said in a statement. “The bigoted views expressed by Mr. Leonard have no place in an educational system that seeks to celebrate diversity and encourage students of all faiths and backgrounds to excel scholastically and to make positive contributions to our society.”

Stephan Leone, the school board attorney, told the Asbury Park Press that Leonard’s “totally inappropriate” posts “do not reflect the board’s attitude or opinions.”

The board will “take appropriate action,” Leone said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a fellow member of the four-person “Squad” of progressive congresswomen, has been targeted by similarly threatening Facebook posts by authority figures. Two Louisiana cops were fired this week after one of them posted that Ocasio-Cortez “needs a round” while the other “liked” it.

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Notable Replies

  1. “So much love to give, so little time.”
    — Daniel Leonard, Board Member, Toms River Regional Schools district

  2. Toms River voted for Trump by a 2-to-1 margin in 2016.

    And this guy is up for re-election this year.

    So unless he is shamed out of the race, which he has shown zero sign of so far (instead going with Trumpian defiance), it might not matter if he’s suspended or booted off the board now. He has a very good chance of winning a new term.

  3. Couldn’t just say his life would be complete if she were…

    • Voted out of office?
    • No longer in government ?

    Had to be Death?

  4. He is the type that wants all Muslims dead.

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