'Putting down a rabid dog': Stefanik demands NY official resign over Trump shooting remark
GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik says Potsdam town board member Christine Paige 'must resign in disgrace'
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EXCLUSIVE: House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is demanding that a local elected official in her district resign after reportedly comparing former President Trump to a "rabid dog" after he was shot.
Christine Paige, a member of the Potsdam Town Council, has faced bipartisan backlash over her comments, which were first reported last month by local media.
"Far Left Democrats supporting political violence and the assassination of President Trump are shameful and do not deserve to represent the great people of the North Country," Stefanik told Fox News Digital.
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"Potsdam Town Board Member Christine Paige must be condemned by the NY Democrat State Party, and she must resign in disgrace after she said shooting President Trump would be like ‘putting down a rabid dog.’"
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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is the No. 4 House GOP leader. (AP/Mariam Zuhaib)
A screenshot of a now-deleted Facebook comment viewed by Fox News Digital showed Paige commenting on a post about the attempted assassination, "I have seen no credible proof that he’s a human being. Maybe you know something we don’t. To me, it would be akin to putting down a rabid dog."
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Potsdam Town Council Supervisor Marty Miller, a Democrat, responded in a lengthy media statement that said Paige’s comment "is not in any way shared" by the rest of the board.
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Former President Trump gestures while surrounded by Secret Service agents after shots were fired at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
"I can tell you firsthand this selfish act of one person’s satisfaction has been a nightmare for me and the rest of the Board the last couple of weeks," Miller said, adding that the town council has been inundated with "phone calls, voicemails, and emails" on the matter.
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Miller pointed out, however, that the town council cannot oust one of its own members. He also endorsed Stefanik for re-election, calling her a "strong" leader in a statement to Fox News Digital.
But Paige said she will not resign from her post, according to NNY360.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Paige for comment on Stefanik’s demand.
It’s part of the continued fallout from the July 13 shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. A 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a rooftop outside the rally’s security perimeter, hitting Trump in the ear and killing one rally attendee and injuring two others.