Arizona Senate candidate Mark Kelly apologized for a Twitter post by one of his staffers slamming the police.
The apology comes hours after it was reported that T.J. L’Heureux, Kelly’s deputy press secretary, referred to police as “worthless f—— pigs” on Twitter in August, according to AZ Central.
“Our campaign values the public service, bravery and sacrifice of police officers across our nation,” a spokesperson for Kelly’s campaign said. “The tweet posted by a junior staff member is unacceptable and we are taking the appropriate action.”
L’Heureux, who was not yet working on the campaign when the tweet was posted, also issued an apology explaining why he deleted the post.
“I deeply regret my comment and apologize for what I wrote — I was wrong,” he said in a written statement. “My comment does not reflect who I am or what I believe, and most importantly, it is not representative of what this campaign stands for. The language I used and the sentiment I conveyed do not belong in our political process, which is why I have deleted the tweet.”
Kelly’s Republican opponent, incumbent Sen. Martha McSally, responded to the controversy through a spokesperson.
“These comments are disgusting and were made just one week before Mark Kelly hired this person, meaning he knew about it and was OK with it,” the campaign said. “It’s just further proof that Mark embraces extreme anti-law enforcement ideas and rhetoric. Anything he tries to say to the contrary is a bunch of hot air.”
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Kelly, a former astronaut, leading McSally by 8 points.
