The office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) has admitted that an anti-gay comment left on a gay rights blog this week came from the senator’s office, though it has not determined who actually posted it, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
As TPM previously reported, soon after a Senate vote to block debate on the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ someone wrote “All faggots must die” on the blog of gay rights advocate Joe Jervis. Other commenters traced the origin of the comment to a senate.gov IP address located in Atlanta, Georgia, near the offices of both of the state’s senators. Chambliss’ office then said it was investigating the matter.
Today, the AJC’s Bob Keefe received a statement from Chambliss’ office confirming that the posted comment did in fact come from one of his offices:
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ office has determined it was indeed the source of a highly publicized homosexual-bashing slur on an Internet site.But in a statement, Chambliss’ office said it has not discovered exactly who was behind the slur, and has turned the matter over to the Senate Sergeant At Arms.
“The (Sergeant at Arms) has worked side by side with our personnel to determine whether the comment in question emanated from our office. That appears to be the case,” an unsigned statement from Chambliss’ press office read.
“There has not been a determination as to who posted the comment,” the statement read. “That part of the review is ongoing, and is now in the hands of the Senate Sergeant at Arms.”
The senator’s office did not immediately return TPM’s phone call seeking comment.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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