Colorado Republican Who Posted Racist Photo Comparing Obama to a Chimp Resigns under Pressure
More than a month after posting a racist meme comparing President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee, a Colorado Republican has resigned, the Daily Sentinel reports.
Linda Sorenson, chairwoman of the Delta County Republican Party, resigned from her post late this week after an accountability meeting on Thursday looking into her claims that her Facebook page was “hacked” and hackers were to blame for the image.
The meme was taken from President Ronald Reagan’s film, Bedtime for Bonzo, with a caption added that read, “I’ll be damned … Reagan used to babysit Obama.”
The image was deleted from her account, but not before an image was captured by local news.
Sorenson also called the image a joke, saying, “I really don’t care if people are offended by it.” The Colorado party chair refuted her claim that her page was hacked.
Last month, she admitted she was responsible for it.
BREAKING: #LindaSorenson: "Please forgive me for being insensitive & not thinking of others" @copolitics @cologop https://t.co/Ry2r6hSQW6— Ernest Lee Luning (@Ernest Lee Luning) 1465307597
“There’s no room for racism, intended or unintended, in society,” Don Suppes, mayor of Orchard City and candidate for Delta County Commission, told the Sentinel. “It’s best for the party, best for the county, that she step down.”
This week, Sorenson announced her resignation by email to fellow party members, according to the Sentinel.
The meme can be seen here: