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House speaker condemns legislator’s Clinton tweet

Journal photo Delegate Michael Folk
Journal photo
Delegate Michael Folk

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – – Delegate Mike Folk, R-Berkeley, has continued to catch heat for his tweet saying Hillary Clinton should be hanged, including from leadership in the West Virginia House of Delegates.

Speaker of the House Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, issued a statement Monday condemning the Friday tweet, which has since been deleted from Folk’s Twitter account. Folk’s Twitter account has also been made private, meaning only pre-approved followers can read his posts.

“Let me make clear that Delegate Folk is not a part of the leadership team of the House, and his comments are his own and do not represent our Republican Caucus,” Armstead said in the prepared statement.

“While I, along with members of our caucus and leadership team, have great concerns about Hillary Clinton’s views, actions and positions, particularly as they relate to our energy industry, we certainly condemn any calls for violence against her or any other person. It is unfortunate that the national campaign has become so emotionally charged, and I hope that as we head into fall and the General Election campaign the focus will be on the policies of the candidates and their impact on our state and our people.”

The original tweet made by Folk read that presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Clinton should be “tried for treason, murder, and crimes against the US Constitution then hung on the Mall in Washington, DC.”

The tweet has garnered attention from major news outlets across the nation and caused an uproar with numerous Twitter users, and it has also warranted responses from Folk’s employer. Folk is a commercial pilot for United Airlines.

“The pilot has been removed from his schedule and is not flying pending our investigation,” said Mary Clark with the airline’s media relations division in a Monday email. “We are appalled by his threatening comments.”

When asked Monday, Clark said she could not provide details about the investigation or what it entails.

The West Virginia Democratic Party has also called for Folk’s ouster, and the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, which is represented in West Virginia by State Sen. Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, has issued a petition calling for national and local Republican leaders to condemn Folk and call for his resignation.

Folk stood behind his tweet Saturday, but he did say the statement was hyperbolic and could have been worded differently.

“Obviously, I struck a nerve, and there’s a little bit of hyperbole, but when people are exempt from the rule of law because of who they are, we have a major problem,” Folk said in a Saturday telephone interview. “People have to start standing up for what’s right.”

Folk said the tweet was spearheaded by a video he saw on Facebook regarding Clinton handling classified information on a private email server.

When reached for comment Monday, Gary Kelley, Berkeley County’s chair of the West Virginia Republican Party, said he is preparing a statement that should be available this afternoon. When asked if he would make preliminary comments regarding the tweet, Kelley said he would prefer not to at this time.

Folk could not be reached for comment Monday.

Staff writer Emily Daniels can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 132 or www.twitter.com/emilykdaniels.

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