NC lawmaker apologizes for ‘inappropriate’ image of beheaded Trump

RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina representative apologized to fellow lawmakers Tuesday for a social media post that brought her national attention following the weekend shootings of two Minnesota legislators.

Representative Julie von Haefen, D-Wake, on Saturday posted an image of a protester’s sign featuring a guillotine and a fake severed head resembling President Donald Trump. The image, from an anti-Trump protest in Raleigh, led to calls for her resignation by Republicans, who said it showed poor judgment.

The image was posted on the same day a man shot two Minnesota politicians and their spouses — killing the state’s former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Raleigh native Mark Hortman.

“This weekend, I shared a video montage on Facebook that included an image that was inappropriate,” she told fellow representatives Tuesday on the House floor. “I realized that quickly and took the post down, and I want to apologize today.

“I apologize to members of the House, to my constituents, and to any North Carolinian who was offended by what I posted. I’m sorry everyone; every one of us needs to take accountability for when we make mistakes. I am taking that accountability today.”

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