Trending

Attorney resigns after tweeting that he'd be 'OK' if Betsy DeVos was assaulted

By Dahlia Dandashi, Austin American-Statesman

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill June 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

By Dahlia Dandashi, Austin American-Statesman

ROUND ROCK, Texas — A Round Rock, Texas, attorney resigned after posting a controversial tweet Friday that caused a firestorm on Twitter.

The tweet, which was posted by Robert Ranco, a partner with the Carlson Law Firm, read, “I’m not wishing for it...but I’d be ok if #BetsyDevos was sexually assaulted. #SexualAssault #TitleIX.”

>> Read more trending news

As U.S. secretary of education, DeVos has recently called for reexamining the federal guidelines for dealing with campus sexual assault.

The tweet caught the eyes of national news outlets like the Washington Times and Breitbart, as well as Twitter users who snapped screenshots before the account was locked and then deleted.

Law firm managing partner Craig Carlson announced in a statement Monday that Ranco resigned.

“I considered the health of everyone in our organization, promised my partners and my employees that we would act according to the values of our firm, and sat down to speak with Mr. Ranco,” Carlson said.

Carlson stated that with over 75 percent of employees being female, anyone in the company “advocating or even expressing apathy towards sexual assault” would not be accepted. Carlson said Ranco took full responsibility of the tweet.

“As a man of faith, believer in forgiveness, and longtime friend, it is my sincere hope that Rob with learn from this experience and go on to have a very successful career,” Carlson ends the statement.

Cox Media Group

Most Read