The co-chairman of the Colorado Springs American Civil Liberties has resigned after being criticized for a Facebook post that said to supporters of Donald Trump: “If you are voting for him, I will have to shoot you before election day.”
The Daily Caller drew attention to the posts on Loring Wirbel’s Facebook account this week.
The ACLU of Colorado tweeted Friday that it “has accepted Loring Wirbel’s resignation as chapter representative to our state board.”
“The ACLU of Colorado does not condone the recent personal Facebook post of regional volunteer Loring Wirbel,” the group said.
Update: @ACLUofColorado has accepted Loring Wirbel’s resignation as chapter representative to our state board. pic.twitter.com/hAXolZ08gA
— ACLU of Colorado (@ACLUofColorado) December 11, 2015
Wirbel’s Facebook post read: “The thing is, we have to really reach out to those who might consider voting for Trump and say, ‘This is Goebbels. This is the final solution. If you are voting for him I will have to shoot you before election day.’ They’re not going to listen to reason, so when justice is gone, there’s always force, as Laurie would say.”
In a statement to TheDC, a police spokesman in Colorado Springs, Colorado, called the post “distasteful and a little alarming, given the source and content within current political environment.” But the spokesman said the department would not launch an investigation.
“There is not an investigation underway as the contents of the threat do not address a specific individual who could be considered a victim,” Lt. Mark Comte of the Colorado Springs Police Department said in an email.
Wirbel initially denied posting the comment. But on Friday, in an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette, Wirbel admitted to writing the post, but said he wasn’t being serious: “It was intended totally as a joke.”