Rand Paul aide Jack Hunter, a.k.a. ‘The Southern Avenger,’ resigns
theGRIO REPORT - Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul's aide, known as 'The Southern Avenger,' has resigned after his past racial charged comments came to light earlier this month...
Jack Hunter, an aide of Kentucky Republican and U.S. senator Rand Paul, has resigned after his past racially charged comments came to light earlier this month.
Hunter began calling himself “The Southern Avenger” at the start of his career in radio in 1999.
Under that moniker he repeatedly wore a Confederate flag mask at public appearances and claimed that “John Wilkes Booth‘s heart was in the right place” when he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
In a statement on his website, which is temporarily offline, Hunter addressed the resurfacing of his past comments, saying he is “embarrassed by some of the comments I made precisely because they do not represent me today.”
In an e-mail to The Daily Caller, Hunter confirmed that he was leaving Sen. Paul’s office to resume a career as a political pundit.
‘I’ve long been a conservative, and years ago, a much more politically incorrect (and campy) one,’ Hunter said in an email. ‘But there’s a significant difference between being politically incorrect and racist. I’ve also become far more libertarian over the years, a philosophy that encourages a more tolerant worldview, through the lens of which I now look back on some of my older comments with embarrassment.’
‘Still, the moment I became a distraction for Sen. Paul, I knew it was time to leave. My purpose has always been to help, not hinder,’ Hunter added.
Hunter also added that he would lose the name “Southern Avenger,” saying it has been “so mischaracterized.”
“People are calling him a white supremacist,” Paul commented to The Daily Caller. “If I thought he was a white supremacist, he would be fired immediately.”
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.
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