Texas politician slammed for tweet sent after Florida shooting

By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The office of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Republican and evangelical Christian, on Sunday deleted a tweet many saw as offensive and insensitive that was sent out shortly after the deadly attack on a gay nightclub in Florida.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows,” read the Bible verse Patrick sent out on his official Twitter account a few hours after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history that left at least 50 dead.

His office was not immediately available for comment but has told local media, including the Dallas Morning News, that the tweet had been scheduled for release well before the shooting. The office, which regularly sends out a Bible verse on Sundays, has since deleted it and replaced with another passage, they said.

But the deleted tweet from a politician who has condemned same-sex marriage and fought against LGBT rights still raised the ire of those who accused Patrick of blaming the victims.

“You are a disgrace to your state in this time of national sorrow. You should resign,” prominent LGBT activist George Takei wrote on Twitter.

The Texas Democratic Party called on Patrick to apologize immediately.

“Make this right. We are better than this,” it said in a statement.

Patrick is currently out of the country and has not yet made comment to media about the tweet.

The new verse sent on his account reads: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.”

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Nick Zieminski)