In the latest edition of “GOP Politicians Say the Dumbest Things,” a Republican lawmaker is backtracking on comments he made suggesting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton should be hanged for treason.
Michael Folk, a member of West Virginia’s House of Delegates, sent out a tweet over the weekend calling for Clinton to be held accountable for her crimes and then “hung on the Mall in Washington D.C.”
The tweet has since been deleted and Folk looks to have his account private, but this is the internet and nothing ever dies on the internet. Here’s a screenshot of the post:
Earlier this month, a FBI investigation into Clinton’s email scandal determined she did in fact send classified information through her private email but recommended no charges be brought against her or her staff. Obviously the judgement pissed off more than a few Republicans who have spent millions of dollars and poured plenty of time into pointless congressional hearings on the subject. But no one is more enraged than Folk, an obscure lawmaker from a state that’s the butt of every incestual marriage joke who thought he’d share his personal opinion about the investigation through Twitter of all places.
Folk tweeted out the worrisome post Friday and was quickly met with outrage from fellow lawmakers and other people who don’t think calling for someone to be hanged is an appropriate thing for a congressman to say.
After a statement from West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Belinda Biafore condemned Folk’s comments as “disturbing” and called for his resignation, the lawmaker quickly backtracked, explaining he was exaggerating to make a point.
“I do think she should be tried and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Folk told CNN Saturday. As for the hanging comment, he said, “No, my gosh. That was the hyperbole in the statement.”
Folk also admitted the tweet was probably “uncalled for” but he stands by his statement that Clinton should be tried for treason, saying anyone else in her position would’ve “been in jail for life.”
By now, nothing the GOP says is truly shocking and Republican’s wanting Clinton to hang is a chant you’ll probably hear at every Donald Trump rally. In fact, what’s surprising about this story is the fact that Folk, while not apologizing, did seem to regret saying something completely ignorant and outlandish in regards to a fellow politician.
If anything, hopefully Folk has learned the cardinal rule of social media: think before you tweet.
(Via CNN)