On the heels of sparking outrage from Republicans and some of her fellow Democrats, Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-University City) turns to the same public forum that got her in trouble in the first place to fire back at her critics.
An early morning Facebook post reads as follows:
Good Morning! I’d like to thank everyone for your support. Thank you for working against establishment Democrats who don’t care about the everyday working mother. Thank you for fighting against White Supremacists and their rhetoric. I’m getting support from people across all party lines. Please don’t stop your support. The establishment is trying to silence our voices which means that’s another lost election for them.
Out of anger and frustration, I said something that could have been reframed. And I refuse to shy away from the hypocrisy and chaos our country is enduring under Trump.
Please keep fighting on my behalf on social media. Know that I refuse to give up. I’m not turning my back on you ever! The others have done so, but I will never do that to you. Thank you again. In solidarity
The post is then linked to an online petition, asking for electronic signatures for “I stand with Maria.”
We, as constituents and community members and people who feel the same frustration with our current political landscape stand with Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal. We know that there is a huge difference between saying that someone hopes Donald Trump is assassinated and someone calling for his assassination.
We call on Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal to NOT resign.
“Out of anger and frustration, I said something that could have been reframed. And I refuse to shy away from the hypocrisy and chaos our country is enduring under Trump.” – Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal.
Chappelle-Nadal told a Washington D.C. television station, “If there are legislators who are cheating on their wives and legislators smoking marijuana in their offices and they’re not asked to resign, I’m not going to resign for a mistake that I’ve owned up to … and I should have not done that, but I’m not going to shy away from the frustration and the anger that I have.”
FULL STORY:
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/274584652-story
Chappelle-Nadal is being called out for posting a comment on Facebook saying she hopes President Trump is assassinated. The Secret Services says it’s investigating to see if any laws have been broken.
Gov. Eric Greitens also used Facebook to issue a response: “We can have differences in our country, but no one should encourage political violence. The Senator should resign.” He also shared an article from the right-leaning website, The Daily Caller, which reported on the controversy.
Friday, press secretary Parker Briden released a statement from the Governor stating Chappelle-Nadal should resign or the Senate should expel her.
“Senator Chappelle-Nadal said she hopes the President is killed,” Greitens said. “Republicans and Democrats have called on her to resign. Her response: ‘Hell no.’ Last night, in an interview, she refused to apologize — twice. If she will not resign, the Senate can vote to remove her. I believe they should.”