The Republican chairman of Hardin County, Kentucky, has apologized after posting, then deleting, a video that depicted former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
The Kentucky Republican Party said it is investigating the matter and will “take the harshest possible action against those involved.”
“The Kentucky Republican Party condemns hate in all its forms,” party chairman Robert J. Benvenuti III said in an Oct. 25 statement. “This post is vile, reprehensible and goes directly against everything we stand for as a party and a nation.”
The depiction of President Obama was captured in a screenshot of a video shared with WAVE-TV.
Hardin County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Coleman acknowledged late Saturday night in a Facebook post that he shared the video on his party’s account. She initially said she did not think the video contained racist metaphors, but instead portrayed President Trump as “the Lion King winning over liberal Democrats.”
“I thought this video was a silly way to celebrate the policy victories of the past nine months: lower taxes, peace in the Middle East, stronger borders, lower gas prices,” Coleman said.
Coleman later posted a video apologizing for “reinforcing offensive images of former President Obama.”
“As someone who does not engage with racist tropes, I did not consider the potential implications of this video. I am not a racist and any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect my values or character,” she said.
“We condemn hate in all its forms,” said Benvenuti, the state Republican.
“We will continue to uphold Lincoln’s values and promote freedom and prosperity for all Americans.”
Coleman said Benvenuti deleted the video from her Hardin County account before issuing her statement.
