Former Texas Libertarian congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul called a racist cartoon posted on his Twitter page Monday a “mistake” and blamed it on a staff member.
The posted tweet, which was removed after outrage on social media, appeared to attack “politically correct” expectations to treat people with sensitivity. It depicted offensive images of a black man, a Latino, an Asian and a Jew punching Uncle Sam with a single red fist as they shout: “Cultural Marxism!”
“Are you stunned by what has become of American culture?” said the tweet carrying Paul’s name. “Well, it’s not an accident. You’ve probably heard of ‘cultural Marxism,’ but do you know what it means?”
The father of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that the offensive cartoon was a “mistake” and had been “inadvertently” posted by a member of his staff. He did not apologize for it.
The drawing included the signature of cartoonist Ben Garrison, who is known for cartoons supporting Donald Trump. But he tweeted Monday that it “totally” wasn’t his work, and “trolls” had pasted his signature on an altered image.
A substitute tweet on Paul’s page included the same “cultural Marxism” message but the racist cartoon was replaced with a bar through the words “political correctness.” Both the original and substitute tweet linked to a long Facebook explanation by Paul saying that “cultural Marxism” is a trick of Marxist supporters to harp on discrimination and exploitation that does not exist.
Most people responding to Paul on Twitter weren’t buying “the staffer did it” excuse.
Paul has been accused of racism before. During his presidential campaigns, the media reported on a newsletter Paul published for many years that included several racist and anti-gay attacks.