Michael Selyem, a deputy district attorney in San Bernardino County, California, is in hot water for attacking Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in a series of unhinged social media posts.
The San Bernardino Sun reported, that Selyem, a top gang prosecutor, “has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.”
Media reports indicate that Selyem has a history of controversial social media posts. Now there are calls for him to resign after his focus turned to Rep. Waters. Selyem also used his social media post to disparage former First Lady Michelle Obama.
During an online discussion on Facebook regarding a police shooting, Selyem wrote, “That s—bag got exactly what he deserved. You reap what you sow. And by the way go f— yourself you liberal s—bag.”
That was only part of the conversation.
Regarding Waters, Selyem wrote: “Being a loud-mouthed c–t in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this b–ch by now…” Selyem was commenting on a June video featuring Congresswoman Maxine Waters. The longtime House member has been in the news for challenging President Donald Trump and calling for his impeachment.
As the controversy spurred by Michael Selyem’s posts exploded online, many residents called for his resignation.
According to The Sun, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a civil rights activist and the president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, issued a statement that said, “the public call for violence to a federal official is a serious crime.”
Hutchinson’s statement continued: “In this volatile climate, such a threat poses a grave danger to Waters. The shooting of an Arizona congresswoman and the recent physical confrontations with government officials in public places underscore that grave threat…The U.S. Attorney must take action against Selyem.”
Several public officials have found themselves in hot water for posting controversial views on social media. Some legal analysts have argued that racist, sexist and other hateful views expressed by employees of governmental agencies place those offices in legal jeopardy, especially if those views meet the definition of hate speech.
Selyem has worked with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office for 12 years.
“It is disgusting that a public official sworn to protect the public would have these ugly viewpoints,” said Zeke Hernandez, the president of the Santa Ana League of United Latin American Citizens. “The district attorney needs to take any and all appropriate action to let the public know that it does not agree with Selyem’s hateful rhetoric.”
During a press conference, Ramos said that he was offended by Selyem’s comments, not just as the district attorney but as a prosecutor.
“I was really concerned with comments regarding officer-involved shootings,” Ramos added. He said such comments affect “the ability for us to ensure the integrity of this office and making sure the public knows that we are doing these cases and investigating these cases in an unbiased fashion.”
The Sun reported that Selyem attacked immigrants in a comment left on a Breitbart News story.
“I am all for white males immigrating here legally and starting a business,” Selyem wrote. “It is the terrorist a–holes sneaking in here wanting to kill me and my family that I am opposed to…”
An investigation of Selyem’s social media posts is underway. Some of the posts have already been deleted.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist, political analyst and contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.
This story was originally published on BlackPressUSA.com.