Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on a Democratic Party official in his state to step down from office following his “disgusting” racial slur regarding Sen. Tim Scott.
“This is disgusting, hateful, and completely unacceptable. O’Connor must apologize to @SenatorTimScott & step down immediately,” Abbott tweeted Saturday. “@texasdemocrats censure him.”
This is disgusting, hateful, and completely unacceptable.
O’Connor must apologize to @SenatorTimScott & step down immediately. @texasdemocrats censure him.https://t.co/wJLTqaHlLb
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 1, 2021
He was responding to a since-deleted Facebook post from Lamar County Democratic Party Chairman Gary O’Connor that called Scott an “oreo” following his Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s address to Congress. “Oreo” refers to a black person who is perceived as acting like a white person.
“I had hoped that Scott might show some common sense, but it seems clear he is little more than an oreo with no real principles,” the post read.
TWITTER STOPPED ‘UNCLE TIM’ FROM TRENDING, BUT NO WORD IF IT WILL REMOVE TWEETS
O’Connor has faced calls from other Texas political leaders to step down, including Republican Rep. Pat Fallon.
“Gary O’Connor’s comment against Senator Tim Scott is abhorrent, insulting, and unforgivable. Both he and the entire Lamar County Democratic Party should be ashamed of this racist behavior,” Fallon said.
“This kind of behavior is not tolerable in Texas, the United States, or any political party,” he added.
The comment comes after the slur “Uncle Tim” trended on Twitter to disparage Scott. Twitter banned the phrase from appearing in its trending section, but the tweets containing the offensive term were not removed and remain live on the platform.
In his speech last Wednesday, Scott said, “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country,” and he spoke in defense of Georgia’s election integrity law, which has been panned by liberals as disenfranchising black voters.
“I’m an African American who has voted in the South all my life,” Scott said. “I take voting rights personally. Republicans support making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
O’Connor announced that he was offering his resignation on Tuesday in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I am deeply and sincerely sorry for my inappropriate and hurtful use of racist term I used to describe Sen. Tim Scott on my personal Facebook page. It was insensitive, and I have embarrassed myself and my party by its use,” he wrote.
“As a result, I feel compelled to offer my resignation as Chair of the Lamar County Democratic Party for consideration by the County Executive Committee.”
