The Illinois State Senate | Wikimedia Commons
The Illinois State Senate | Wikimedia Commons
Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider blasted state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s apology for allowing a man to point a fake assault rifle at a caricatured image of President Donald Trump at one of his campaign fundraisers as too little, too late.
“Dangerous imagery like this will be condemned and seen as inappropriate by people of sound mind; however, a mentally unstable individual who wants to harm President Trump might find them as an inspiration,” Schneider said in a statement posted to the organization’s website. “It’s inexcusable for an elected official to allow the promotion of violence in any way. If the individual pictured is a staffer or volunteer, they should be terminated immediately.”
The controversy unfolded during an Aug. 16 MAS Havana Nights Golf Clasico fundraiser for Sandoval at Klein Creek Gold Club in Winfield, where sponsorships were as high as $2,500
At some point in the evening, the man walked up to a mocked Trump poster where Trump was dressed in Mexican attire and pointed a fake rifle at Trump while posing for a photo.
Sandoval (D-Chicago) publicly issued his apology Sunday night, roughly 48 hours after a woman first posted the photos on her Facebook page.
"As our nation grapples with the epidemic of gun violence, purposely pointing a fake gun at anyone is insensitive and wrong. I condemn actions like the ones displayed in the pictures because they lack the civility our politics demands,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.
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