A Texas judge has apologized for a now-deleted Facebook comment suggesting a black suspect be hung, reported the Austin American-Statesman. The judge is the latest elected official to be caught making racist comments. In recent months, mayors in West Virginia and Pennsylvania respectively have been called out for racist comments about First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama.
On Monday, Burnet County Judge James Oakley commented, “Time for a tree and a rope…” in response to the arrest of Otis Tyrone McKane, a suspect in the killing of San Antonio police Det. Benjamin Marconi over the weekend, a screenshot showed. By Wednesday, Oakley had apologized, saying the comment was “off the cuff” and that it was admittedly “harsh.”
"It is for that reason that I deleted it soon after posting and apologize for not being more thoughtful and comprehensive in my expression," Oakley said in an email. "What I should have posted, if anything, is a comment that more clearly reflects my opinion on the cowardly crime of the senseless murder of a law enforcement officer."
Oakley also clarified the comment was not in regard to the suspect’s race, adding that he believed in the judicial process:"To be clear, I advocate due process. I also support the death penalty in cases where the ultimate crime has been committed and there is clear and complete evidence and where all steps of the judicial process have been respected. I would also point out that I am an administrative judge and do not preside over criminal court."
Oakley presides over a Burnet County commissioner’s court, is a board member of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and is a member of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's executive committee and the Pedernales Electric Cooperative board.
