HONOLULU (Eagle News) – “I accept full responsibility for the unauthorized tweets posted by our former Vice Chair of Communications,” said Hawaii Republican Party Chair Shirlene Ostrov, apologizing on behalf of Edwin Boyette who resigned after posting several messages on their party’s Twitter account, indicating his support for the insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6.
One of Boyette’s tweets read as follows before it was deleted: “We should make it abundantly clear – the people who subscribed to the Q fiction, were largely motivated by a sincere and deep love for America. Patriotism and love of Country should never be ridiculed.”
Boyette later admitted on social media that his tweets were “errors in judgment.”
“Our Party believes in free speech, but it is a responsibility that each of us must carry in order to maintain a good and just society,” Ostrov explained on the Hawaii GOP Facebook page. “Promoting content for the purpose of shock value does not help us to build a more perfect union, nor does it help a divided nation heal.”
Hawaii’s GOP leader also apologized to certain community groups.
“To our friends in the Jewish community, we find the comments to be deeply disturbing and offensive and have no place in our party much less our country,” Ostrov wrote.
The retired Air Force colonel concluded, “Moving forward I will make sure that Hawaii GOP and its communications accurately reflect the values that we stand for as a Country and as the Aloha State.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Hawaii reacted, “There is nothing patriotic in defending Q-Anon adherents. There is nothing honorable in defending Proud Boy antics.”
Party chair Tyler Dos Santos-Tam further suspects there is “a whole committee of folks who have been enabling this for far too long and that needs to end.”
(Eagle News Service)