Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has drawn fresh criticism for her appointment of Michael Beyer as her Communications Director. Beyer has a long resume, boasting roles as the former Comms Director for Democrats Tim Kaine and Brandon Presley and positions with the Ohio and New Hampshire Democratic parties. But he also has a troubling history according to a deep-dive into his X.com account.
Reports released Saturday reveal that Beyer has been heaping racially driven criticism since at least 2014…targeting White Americans. As reported by Fox News, an examination of Beyer’s account on X revealed that he has dealt out doses harsh criticism to a myriad of groups connected by a single trait: they’ve all been about white people for almost twelve years.
The outlet noted that both Democrats and Republicans were in Beyer’s crosshairs with the man singling out Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) supporters as having “White entitlement,” noting that Sanders 2016 election victory in that state was because New Hampshire is “91% White.” He even hurled criticism at pop-culture icon of the left Taylor Swift among other “white people,” including then-Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for allegedly “romanticizing the conquest of Africa.”
Marco really appealing to a broader audience besides whites by romanticizing U.S. colonialism.
— Michael Beyer (@michbeyer) February 2, 2016
As noted by Fox, Beyer wrote “Only white people would be the people romanticizing the conquest of Africa,” in a 2015 post linked to an NPR Op-Ed from Viviane Rutabingwa and James Kassaga Arinaitwe who wrote, “We are shocked to think that in 2015, Taylor Swift, her record label and her video production group would think it was OK to film a video that presents a glamorous version of the white colonial fantasy of Africa.“ Most troublingly Beyer claimed during the first Trump Administration that “it is a belief in white supremacy that unites the Religious Right.”
Condemning white supremacy is the bare minimum and you're awful. https://t.co/Ps3OPJGCVk
— Michael Beyer (@michbeyer) August 14, 2017
He also repeatedly parroted the disproven narrative that President Donald Trump failed to criticize white supremacists who participated in the Charlottesville rally in 2017. As noted by UC Santa Barbra’s ‘The American Presidency Project’ President Trump said clearly on August 15, 2017: “I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists — because they should be condemned totally.”
Once again, it is a belief in white supremacy that unites the Religious Right. https://t.co/WX8R5bDSJT
— Michael Beyer (@michbeyer) September 14, 2017
Beyer announced his new role on April 14th, saying “Katie’s a battle-tested leader who delivers real results for Arizonans,” and adding that he’s “proud to help tell that story.”
Hobbs already has a history of legal action for racial discrimination from Democratic policy advisor Talonya Adams. The former AZ Senate staffer was fired in 2015 after she protested that she was paid less than her white colleagues. Adams won two lawsuits against the AZ State Senate on allegations of sexual and racial discrimination.
Arizona Senate Staffer Who Was Discriminated Against By Former Boss Katie Hobbs Wins Lawsuit