Texas Gov. Abbott Starts Twitter War With 'Faithless Elector' Voting Against Trump

AUSTIN, TX — Just because the Electoral College sealed the presidency for Donald Trump doesn't mean the bickering over the election is over. On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott entered the fray, borrowing a catch phrase from the president-elect in telling a Texas elector who chose not to vote Trump: "You're fired!"

Chris Suprun, a Dallas paramedic and Electoral College member, previously aired his disenchantment with Trump, writing in the New York Times of his plans to vote for someone else (he ended up casting his ballot for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who bowed out of the presidential race during the primaries).

That didn't sit well with Abbott, who fired off his "You're fired!" tweet to the dissenter. Never mind that the governor doesn't actually have the authority to fire members of the Electoral College, but that's besides the point.

Undeterred, Suprun fired right back, questioning the gubernatorial priority of engaging in a Twitter spat rather than focusing on the important issues facing the state.

Abbott labeled Suprun's dissenting vote not as freedom of expression but a "charade," saying he looked forward to signing legislation compelling electors to vote for the candidate getting the most votes in a state, as Trump did in Texas.

It's hard to say who's winning the Twitter skirmish, but many on Team Suprun noted the unbecoming behavior of a governor engaging in a battle of tweets with a so-called "faithless elector" such as Suprun. Some suggested Abbott is emboldened in the aftermath of the election, taking a page from Trump — himself a prolific tweeter known for getting into spats with those criticizing him.

"Sorry, Abbott but governors don't get to fire citizens," one follower wrote. "Citizens get to fire governors."

"So you found time to troll on Twitter but can't find the time to fix Child Protective Services?" another asked.

Ouch.

Since Abbott drew first blood (or first Tweet, anyway) things have calmed down a bit on Twitterland, Suprun going back to more traditional swipes at Trump.

It's hard to say who'll emerge the victor in this virtual duel. But this Texas Twitter tussle is just getting warmed up.

>>> Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr, used under Creative Commons