A senior adviser to Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock has resigned after reports surfaced of racist posts he made on Facebook comparing black people to zoo animals and suggesting President Obama build a mosque at the White House.
Benjamin Cole, who became Mr. Schock’s senior adviser for policy and communications in March 2014, confirmed Friday to ABC News via text message that he had resigned.
“I am extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff,” Mr. Schock wrote in a statement. “I would expect better from any member of my team. Upon learning about them I met with Mr. Cole and he offered his resignation which I have accepted.”
Mr. Cole said in an August 2010 post that a mosque should be built on the White House grounds for President Obama. In a post last week, he wrote that he was doing “[his] absolute best” to put “as many Black Criminals who live and loiter on [his] street behind bars,” Buzzfeed reported.
On Thursday, Think Progress reported another racially insensitive post by Mr. Cole in which he compared black people to zoo animals, posting a video of a black woman arguing with someone off-screen.
“So apparently the closing of the National Zoo has forced the animals to conduct their mating rituals on my street. #gentrifytoday Pt.1,” Mr. Cole wrote in the October 2013 post.
Mr. Cole and Mr. Schock made headlines earlier this week after a slew of reports that Mr. Schock has used thousands of dollars from his taxpayer-funded account to renovate his Capitol Hill office in a “Downton Abbey” theme. Mr. Cole refused to discuss the office decor with The Washington Post, which first reported the lavish renovation.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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