BLM Rhode Island PAC calls for resignation of Dem strategist who tweeted about Graham
Coyne-McCoy later deleted the tweet and said she 'made a mistake'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC called for the immediate resignation of the state’s Democratic Party strategist who tweeted out about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Kate Coyne-McCoy, the strategist, came under fire on Tuesday after tweeting out, "It’s wrong to hope he dies from Covid right? Asking for a friend. #COVIDISNOTOVER #LINDSEYGRAHAM."
The tweet was met with fierce backlash and later deleted. She tweeted, "I made a mistake. I used poor judgement which I obviously regret."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Providence Journal reported that Republicans in the state, including Rhode Island Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Cienki, called for her "immediate resignation."
The BLM PAC followed up those calls with its own. The group said the comment was "extremely distasteful and insensitive."
"Regardless of political affiliation, the disregard for human life is unacceptable and should not be tolerated anywhere within any political party," the statement, which was first reported by Ian Donnis, an investigative reporter in the state, said. "How can we trust someone with such blatant disregard for human life with the will of RI voters?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The statement concluded, "Anything short of an immediate resignation, would signal that these types of comments are acceptable within the RI Democratic Party."
The group alerted Fox News about a tweet that she sent out in March 2020 in response to a photo of then-President Trump surrounded by his inner circle.
It was the early days of the coronavirus outbreak and Joe Lockhart, the CNN political analyst, pointed out how nobody was socially distancing in the picture from the Oval Office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If our leaders don't do it, we don't really have to do it. It also shows GOP is only white men," he observed.
Coyne-McCoy responded to his post, "I am not proud of my gut reaction which is "I hope they all die."
"Wishing death on people is customary for the RI Democratic Party Chief Political Strategist Kate Coyne McCoy, as she made similar comments back in March of last year," the group told Fox News. "BLM RI PAC strongly urges RI Governor Dan McKee and House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi to call for her immediate resignation, as those views regardless of political affiliation should never be accepted."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The state’s Democratic Party and Coyne-McCoy did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.
The Journal’s report said that "despite the firestorm, Coyne-McCoy’s prospects for riding out the blowback from the tweet appeared good," and pointed to an email from House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi that said she is "extremely remorseful, and I’m pleased she apologized."