Patrick Rushing, the Mayor of Airway Heights in Washington, has sparked widespread criticism after referring to Michelle Obama as a 'Gorilla' in a social media post.
The post in question read: "Gorilla face Michelle, can’t disagree with that. The woman is not attractive except to monkey man Barack. Check out them ears. LOL,"
Rushing, who is also a lawyer, claims that his comments were not intended to be offensive. In response to the backlash, he stated: "The post was not meant to be offensive to anybody… My entire life, race has never been an issue"
However, according to Police Chief Lee Bennett, Rushing may face sanctions if he does not resign from his position as Mayor.
Rushing has vowed to take steps to restore his reputation and convince the public that his words were taken out of context.
