Update, 12:25 p.m.: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was deluged Sunday morning with critical comments after a tweet he posted hours after the Orlando, Florida, mass shooting was deemed an insensitive commentary on the tragedy.
The tweet, from Galatians 6:7 — “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” — was posted at 7 a.m.
The tweet was immediately met with angry responses from people who concluded that Patrick must have been offering a judgment on the mass shooting overnight at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 50 people dead.
But Patrick, who is out of the country, told the American-Statesman: “For anyone to suggest that is irresponsible. Those are selected weeks in advance so graphics can be made up and scheduled to post in advance.”
“What happened last night is an unspeakable tragedy,” Patrick said. “My prayers go out to all the families of those killed and wounded.”
Critics questioned why the tweet wasn’t immediately removed.
“Important point. Scheduled tweet or not, Patrick’s failure to delete is contemptible,” Glenn Smith, of the Democratic group, Progress Texas, tweeted.
Patrick, who is on personal travel, said he didn’t become aware of it until Sunday morning, and the tweet was removed about four hours after it was posted.
In a statement, Allen Blakemore, Patrick's political adviser, said:
“Lt. Governor Patrick and every Texan is stunned and saddened by the outrageous act of domestic terrorism that has occurred in Orlando. He and Jan are praying for the victims, their families and their friends.
“Regarding this morning’s scripture posting on social media, be assured that the post was not done in response to to last night’s tragedy. The post was designed and scheduled last Thursday.
“The Lt. Governor is traveling out of the country, but our social media team has deleted the posts and graphics. We regret the unfortunate timing of these posts and ask everyone to join us in praying for the people of Orlando in this awful time.”
Update, 11:27 a.m.: The controversial tweet has been taken down from Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's Twitter account. According to the Texas Tribune: "Patrick spokesman Allen Blakemore said the lieutenant governor was expected to release a statement on the situation later Sunday."
The Tribune also confirmed with Patrick’s office that the tweet was scheduled in advance.
Earlier: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is receiving backlash on social media for a tweet published hours after the deadliest mass shooting in American history. More than 50 people were killed and another 53 injured during a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, overnight Sunday.
Patrick’s tweet was sent out exactly at 7 a.m., and it only contains an image of a Bible verse, which reads: “‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.’ Galatians 6:7.”
At the time of this writing, the post had been retweeted more than 150 times, with more than 200 “likes.” Other Twitter users replied to the tweet to acknowledge the timing
Texas Tribune reporter Ryan Murphy acknowledged Patrick often tweets Bible verses at the same time on Sunday mornings, which could mean the tweet was scheduled in advance.
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