A top Cook County, Illinois official — who moonlights as an “equal opportunity critic” on social media — has resigned after several of his insults were discovered.
Daniel F. Gallagher, a high-ranking lawyer in the office of Democrat Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvare, made comments about Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Al Sharpton.
On a Facebook post about First Lady Michelle Obama meeting Pope Francis, Gallagher wrote, “I think Moosechelle was hiding a secret service agent in the seat of her dress,” Fox 32 reports.
While commenting on a picture of Hillary Clinton visiting a Chipotle restaurant, Gallagher wrote, “As Eddie Murphy would say, ‘Da bitch ugly!'”
He accused Al Sharpton of having “black privilege” and deemed Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake “an inarticulate, incompetent moron.”
When the Facebook posts came to light, Gallagher defended them, saying, “I haven’t given up my right to comment… I wasn’t stating it on behalf of my office or the position that I hold.”
But he says he does regret the comment about Michelle Obama: “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Several Cook County officials weren’t as interested in accommodating his “right to comment.”
According to Chicagoist, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says, “If this is true, I do not want him on the podium with me,” referring to Gallagher’s close proximity during county board meetings.
“There has to be a termination. That person should not be the representative of our office. I know he’s not going to be the representative of our board anymore, I can tell you that,” adds County County Commissioner Robert Steele.
Gallagher has donated over $13,000 to his boss since 2007, according to Fox 32.
Alvarez released a statement, saying:
“We only became aware of Mr. Gallagher’s posts on his personal Facebook page when we were contacted by a reporter late last week. In light of the troubling and inappropriate nature of these comments, Mr. Gallagher tendered and the State’s Attorney accepted his resignation this past weekend.”
Gallagher was chief of the State’s Attorney’s civil division, overseeing about 120 lawyers. He made $153,000 a year.
But even Gallagher’s claim that he’s an “equal opportunity critic” — who has lobbed insults at both Democrats and Republicans — wasn’t enough to save him in Cook County.
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