A newly appointed White House communications official has found himself at the center of a political firestorm and forced to apologize for controversial social media posts from his past.
Tyler Cherry, recently promoted to Associate Communications Director in the Biden administration, issued a statement last 23 June addressing incendiary tweets from several years ago that have drawn sharp criticism from conservatives.
Screenshots of tweets dating back to 2014 and 2015 began circulating online, revealing strong criticisms of law enforcement, calls for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and statements supporting anti-Israel organizations.
In one tweet, Cherry said he was "praying even harder for an end to a capitalistic police state motivated by explicit and implicit racial biases."
The tweet came amid riots sparked by the police custody death of Freddie Gray, a Black man, in Baltimore.
In another post a few months later, Cherry said modern day policing was a "direct evolution of slave patrols and lynch mobs."
Many of his posts have championed the cause of Palestinians against Israel. In one post from July 25, 2014, Cherry wrote: "Cheersing in bars to ending the occupation of Palestine – no shame and f--- your glares #ISupportGaza #FreePalestine."
On Sunday, Cherry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Past social media posts from when I was younger do not reflect my current views. Period."
"I support this Administration’s agenda – and will continue my communications work focused on our climate and environmental policies," he wrote.
X user Ashley St. Clair replied to Cherry's tweet by asking, "That's really awesome to hear Tyler— could you elaborate on what views are different and which one of these past posts do not reflect your current views?" then posting a screenshot of alleged past tweets from the staffer.