Va. GOP official resigns after controversial Facebook post

August 7, 2014

A Virginia GOP official who posted a message on his Facebook page that questioned whether Muslim Americans have made positive contributions to U.S. society has resigned.

Bob FitzSimmonds, treasurer of the state Republican Party, distributed his resignation letter to party officials Wednesday night.

“It seems that no matter how careful I might be, I will periodically give occasion for others to portray the party in a bad light, so long as I am a party official. After discussion with several party leaders it seems clear that I will either need to stop posting on social media or step down from my party office,” he wrote in a one-page letter to members of the party’s State Central Committee.

FitzSimmonds was unapologetic for his comments. In the letter, he said his resignation will not take effect until his position has been filled, which he said will probably happen after a state GOP meeting Aug. 16.

Last week, FitzSimmonds posted a comment about a message from President Obama marking the end of Ramadan. Obama praised Muslims for helping to build “the very fabric of our nation and strengthening the core of our democracy.”

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