An Indiana Deputy Attorney General “is no longer employed” by the Attorney General’s Office, after he tweeted for “live ammunition” to be used on protesters in Wisconsin, the office announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
The deputy AG, Jeff Cox, wrote his comments in response to tweets from a Mother Jones editor named Adam Weinstein.
“[A]gainst thugs physically threatening legally-elected state legislators & governor? You’re damn right I advocate deadly force,” Cox wrote, to defend his call for live ammunition. (You can see screen grabs of Cox’s tweets here.)
“We respect individuals’ First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums, but as public servants we are held by the public to a higher standard, and we should strive for civility,” the Attorney General’s office said in a statement.
Here’s the full statement:
Today the Indiana Attorney General’s Office announced that Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Cox is no longer employed by this agency.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office conducted a thorough and expeditious review after “Mother Jones” magazine today published an article attributing private Twitter postings and private blog postings to Cox.
Civility and courtesy toward all members of the public are very important to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. We respect individuals’ First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums, but as public servants we are held by the public to a higher standard, and we should strive for civility.
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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