Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ press secretary Josselyn Berry resigned Tuesday evening after outrage over a now-deleted tweet threatening to use violence against those who disagree with promoting transgenderism. Coming less than 12 hours after a transgender fatally shot students and staff at a Christian elementary school she used to attend in Tennessee, the Arizona Freedom Caucus led the call for her to resign.
Berry, who has a history of partisan offensive tweets, tweeted, “Us when we see transphobes,” captioning a photo of a woman with a determined look pointing two guns. The photo is from the movie “Gloria,” featuring the late actress Gena Rowlands. In the 1980 movie, the character Gloria shoots and kills gangsters.
Hobbs’ office released this statement on Wednesday, “The Governor does not condone violence in any form. This administration holds mutual respect at the forefront of how we engage with one another. The post by the Press Secretary is not reflective of the values of the administration. The Governor has received and accepted the resignation of the Press Secretary.”
The Arizona Freedom Caucus, which is composed of conservatives in the Arizona Legislature, tweeted, “Less than 12 hours after the tragic shooting in Nashville by a deranged transgender activist @katiehobbs’ Press Secretary calls for shooting people Democrats disagree with. Calling for violence like this is un-American & never acceptable. @joss_berry should be fired immediately.”
Kari Lake War Room tweeted, “We are all grieving the murders of six innocent people of faith in Nashville yesterday. So it is truly disgusting to see @katiehobbs‘ Team call for further acts of progressive violence. Now is the time for healing. But all these people know how to do is divide.”
If Berry had not resigned, a protest was organized for Wednesday afternoon at the Arizona Capitol. The tweet made national news, with political commentator Matt Walsh tweeting, “This is the contact information for the governor’s office. I’ll be giving it out again tomorrow on my show. And the next day. And the day after. We are going to start holding these people to the same standard and the same rules.”
Even some on the left called for Berry’s resignation. Commentator Keith Olbermann called the tweet “abhorrent and indefensible,” and questioned why the tweet went “36 hours without comment.” He demanded, “Barring the most improbable of explanations, she must apologize — and resign.”
Left-wing Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts also called for Berry’s resignation in an article Wednesday morning. She objected to Berry’s tweet for invoking guns. “Because sure, what this nation really needs right now is the face of the Arizona Governor’s Office, a woman presumably trained in the fine art of public relations, telling people to grab their guns,” she said.
A few hours earlier, Berry posted a photo of a furry ball creature holding a knife twice its size, saying, “We heard you upset Gaelle.” The Daily Caller compiled some of Berry’s most offensive tweets after she was hired last year by the Arizona Democratic Party. She bashed law enforcement, advocated for defunding the police, and quoted convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur, who was added to the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists in 2013, encouraging activists to “fight” with a “duty to win.” The Arizona Democratic Party, who used her quote of Shakur in a statement, later apologized for it.
She protected her tweets from the public after the controversy.
The Pima County Democratic Party also angered people on Tuesday by referring to the “GOP sanctioned Nashville shooter” in a tweet.
We are sending our kids to school this morning; praying they are not shot to death. It’s ok not to watch the videos of the @GOP sanctioned Nashville shooter. Protect your sanity. Demand accountability and answers on GUN regulation from @SenatorSinema, CD6 @RepCiscomani LD17…
— Pima County Democratic Party (@PimaDems) March 28, 2023
Kari Lake responded, “The @katiehobbs administration and the @azdemparty have used the murder of six innocent Christians to further divide Arizonans, attack Republicans, and advance their gun control agenda. This isn’t an isolated incident. This is a platform of their party.”
Kari Lake War Room tweeted, “.@PimaDems are now blaming @AZGOP state legislators, and @SenatorSinema, for a gender-confused crazy woman hunting down & executing six Christians. This radicalism is entrenched in this entire Democrat party.”
Activists promoting transgenderism are increasingly calling for violence. Twitter user Jonathan asked Berry, “@joss_berry, since you’ll have Friday wide open now, are you planning to attend this ‘Day of Vengeance’ against transphobes in person?” He included a flyer for the Trans Day of Vengeance taking place later this week.
The protests are intended to seek revenge for “trans genocide.” However, The Daily Wire examined FBI statistics and determined that transgenders are not murdered in larger numbers than other groups. A new study found that youth who identify as transgender are at the highest risk of “violent radicalization.”
– – –
Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Josselyn Berry” by Josselyn Berry.
