Former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said Monday he was not responsible for a racially inflammatory post that stirred up a storm on social media, and said it was posted by a staffer.
“Earlier today a staff member inadvertently posted an offensive cartoon on my social media,” he tweeted. “I do not make my own social media posts and when I discovered the mistake it was immediately deleted. – Ron Paul.”
Earlier today a staff member inadvertently posted an offensive cartoon on my social media. I do not make my own social media posts and when I discovered the mistake it was immediately deleted.
-Ron Paul— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) July 2, 2018
The cartoon pictured caricatures of ethnic minorities all punching Uncle Sam under the words “CULTURAL MARXISM!” The caption on the tweet read, “Are you stunned by what has become of American culture? Well, it’s not an accident. You’ve probably heard of ‘Cultural Marxism,’ but do you know what it means?…More here.”
why did you delete your first draft? pic.twitter.com/K6rm5UMUM3
— jack wagner (@jackdwagner) July 2, 2018
The cartoon carries the signature of pro-Trump cartoonist Ben Garrison, who tweeted Monday that he did not create the image and that viewers can check out http://www.grrrgraphics.com to see which images are actually his.
That is totally NOT a Ben Garrison cartoon – This is a cartoon by someone else who trolls have pasted my signature on. Please always check https://t.co/Oj98iIxEAZ for REAL Ben Garrison Cartoons verification.
— Ben Garrison Cartoons at GrrrGraphics.com (@GrrrGraphics) July 2, 2018
The cartoon on Paul’s twitter account has since been taken down and replaced with an image of the word “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” covered by a red “no” symbol.
Are you stunned by what has become of American culture? Well, it’s not an accident. You’ve probably heard of “Cultural Marxism,” but do you know what it means? … More here: https://t.co/bqyiekaSkX pic.twitter.com/9bm5EA17tk
— Ron Paul (@RonPaul) July 2, 2018
Paul has been accused of making racially-insensitive comments in the past. One of them was written in 1992 in the midst of violence in Los Angeles, when he said, “The criminals who terrorized our cities — in riots and on every non-riot day — are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are.” One of his newsletters once referred to Martin Luther King Jr. Day as ‘Hate Whitey Day.’
He defended himself on CNN in 2008: “I’m not a racist. As a matter of fact, Rosa Parks is one of my heroes, Martin Luther King is a hero — because they practiced the libertarian principle of civil disobedience, nonviolence.”
