Commissioner's John Lewis 'Racist Pig' Remark Prompts Calls For Him To Resign

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Democrats in Gwinnett County are calling on a local commissioner to resign after reports that he called U.S. Rep. John Lewis a "racist pig" in a post on his private Facebook account.

Commissioner Tommy Hunter, who like all members of Gwinnett's commission is a Republican, also repeatedly referred to Democrats as "Demonrats" in the Saturday post.

"The commissioner's comments are reprehensible, unbecoming an elected official and we totally condemn them," Gabe Okoye, chairman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, said Monday. "Therefore, we call for his resignation."

In an email to supporters, Okoye wrote: "Mr. Hunter left middle school ages ago and should find a more dignified manner in which to express himself. His remarks not only reflect poorly on himself but also on Gwinnett County."

At a commission meeting on Tuesday, Hunter apologized for his "choice of words." But, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, he said nothing about resigning and defended himself from charges of racism.

"I will not allow baseless accusations of racism against me or anyone,” Hunter said according to the paper. "I've learned a lot from this and will continue to work hard to serve all the people of District 3."

At the same meeting, Commissioner Chairwoman Charlotte Nash read from an apology letters she said she sent to Lewis. It offered "sincere apologies and regrets" for what she deemed "disrespectful" comments about Lewis.

Lewis, who represents Georgia's Fifth Congressional District based in Atlanta, is a civil rights icon and was one of the Rev. Martin Luther King's lieutenants who was beaten and jailed repeatedly for the cause before entering elected politics.

On Friday, Lewis became embroiled in a political back-and-forth with President-elect Donald Trump after saying he didn't view Trump as "a legitimate president" — in part because he believed Russian interference helped Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"John Lewis is a racist pig," Hunter wrote Saturday on Facebook.

The post on Hunter's personal Facebook page went on to twice refer to Democrats with the insult, "Demonrats."

"They believe polls were right and the REAL VOTES were wrong," Hunter wrote. "What a bunch of idiots."

Hunter did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment for this story.

By Monday, he appeared to have locked down privacy settings on his Facebook account and, on Tuesday, the most recent posts visible to the public were from 2014.

Hunter represents the Gwinnett commission's District 3, which includes all or parts of Snellville, Loganville Dacula and Grayson. His suburban Atlanta district is well east of Lewis's Fifth Congressional District and the two do not overlap.

In a written statement, the Gwinnett County chapter of the NAACP called on Hunter's commission colleagues to condemn his comments.

"It is sad and a terrible travesty of justice that in 2017, citizens of color continue to be defamed in this country by elected officials who purport to serve them," the statement reads. "Commissioner Hunter resorted to puerile language describing a large swath of his constituents as 'idiots.'

"The NAACP is confident that the residents of the most diverse county in the Southeast, including District 3 which Hunter represents, recognize the extensive work John Lewis has done in the area of civil rights as well as the high price he and other leaders have paid for their work."

The NAACP goes on to call on Hunter to "issue a public apology and cease spewing divisive racial hatred."

On Twitter, state Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick, a Democrat from Lithonia, wrote Monday that she's "ashamed" of Hunter, who also represents some of her constituents.

Dozens of protesters attended Tuesday commission meeting, some carrying signs demanding that Hunter resign.

In response to Lewis, Trump took to Twitter to attack the civil rights leader and his district, which includes multiple universities, Fortune 500 companies, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions, along with a diverse array of residential communities.

"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to...... mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!"

On Twitter, residents of Lewis's district fired back at what many considered uninformed comments by Trump, using the hashtags #fifthdistrict and #DefendThe5th.

Hunter addressed Lewis on his Facebook page again on Sunday.

"John Lewis' district is drawn to keep him in power," Hunter wrote. "His wins are all illegitimate. How can other reps be concerned about working with him."

Like all Georgia congressional districts, Lewis's Fifth District was drawn up by the state legislature, which is controlled in both houses by Republicans.

As evidenced by the all-GOP commission, Gwinnett County has traditionally been a Republican stronghold. But recent years have seen a wave of diversity sweep the county and, in November's presidential election, the county actually backed Clinton over Trump.

Clinton took 165,063 votes, or roughly 51 percent, in Gwinnett, while Trump garnered 146,463, for 45.2 percent.

In his letter to Democrats, Okoye suggested comments like Hunter's could hurt the county financially.

"What business would want to come here when we have commissioners who conduct themselves this way?" he wrote. "This is in the national news!"

He urged Democrats to contact Hunter and urge him to resign from his post.

Hunter was first elected to the county commission in 2012, and narrowly won re-election this year.

Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners