Texas official shared Facebook post calling for nuking Muslims

SHAFAQNA - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller won’t be apologizing for a controversial Facebook post that called on the U.S. to drop an atomic bomb on Muslim countries, at least according to his political consultant and spokesman.

“We thought the post was very thought-provoking and we’re not going to apologize for it,” Todd M. Smith told POLITICO. “There are comments that appear on that page every day that people would find offensive.”

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The Facebook post — which appeared over the weekend but has since been removed — showed a mushroom cloud and said, “Japan has been at peace with the U.S. since August 9, 1945 It’s time we made peace with the Muslim world.”

It was shared from the page “The Patriots IV Drip 2” with the hashtags #noislamknowpeace and #COMETAKE.

Smith said that Miller did not share the post himself — the commissioner is in China for a trade trip, and approximately 18 people have access to the Facebook account.

Texas Democrats called on the Republican lawmaker to apologize Monday.

“It is unacceptable for Republican Sid Miller to be promoting such disgusting rhetoric. Sadly, this kind of racist, xenophobic hate speech qualifies you for higher office with Republicans’ Tea Party fringe base,” Democratic Party official Manny Garcia said in a statement. “It is the same reason Donald Trump’s poll numbers skyrocket with Republicans every time he attacks Latinos and immigrants.”

Garcia also called on Texas Republican Chairman Tom Mechler to “denounce Miller’s hate speech and join us in demanding an apology.”

“It would be laughable if it wasn’t so frightening that these guys are in charge of state government. Texas families deserve far more than living in fear of a state embarrassment every time a Republican official opens their mouth or gets indicted,” he said.

“I think there are a lot of other things they should be demanding apologies for and getting upset about,” Smith responded, citing President Obama’s Iran deal and the rise of the Islamic State as examples.

The Texas Republican Party said it does not usually comment on individual member’s posts.