A Virginia GOP official has come under fire for remarks he has made on his Facebook page, and it’s not the first time he’s found himself in hot water over social media activity.
State Republican leaders – including Speaker of the House of Delegates William Howell – are calling for Virginia Republican Party treasurer Bob FitzSimmonds to step down after he dismissed remarks the president made commending the achievements of Muslim-Americans as nonsensical. The president made the statements in observance of Eid al-Fitr, which concludes the holy month of Ramadan. FitzSimmonds responded disparagingly by not only questioning Muslim-Americans’ contributions to the fabric of American society, but other faiths as well.
FitzSimmond’s first social media snafu happened in 2012 after speculating on Facebook whether Obama would blame George W. Bush when Obama “dies and goes to hell.” Earlier this year, his resignation was widely advocated after posting vulgar remarks about state House member and fellow Republican Barbara Comstock of Fairfax.
Republicans aren’t hesitating in casting FitzSimmonds out as an anomaly amongst GOP members – The Washington Post reports that Howell refers to his comments as “reprehensible,” and Republican Delegate David Ramadan says FitzSimmonds is “not taken seriously” by Republicans across the commonwealth, alleging FitzSimmonds is “stuck in an antiquated 18th-century mentality.”