ARIZONA

Rep. Paul Gosar tweets, then deletes, unsubstantiated speculation about Texas shooter

Ronald J. Hansen
Arizona Republic

Rep. Paul Gosar tweeted, then deleted, a social media post on the Texas man whom authorities say killed 19 children and two adults, calling him a "transsexual" illegal immigrant.

Responding quickly to a relatively obscure tweet Tuesday that presumed the gunman was "trash" who supported far-right House members like Gosar, R-Ariz., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Gosar hit back with an acid tweet of his own.

"We know already fool. It's a transsexual leftist illegal alien named Salvatore Ramos. It's apparently your kind of trash," Gosar wrote on his personal Twitter account.

Gosar later deleted the tweet, as did the person who prompted his comment.

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar

Gosar's attack reflected a nearly instant political pushback to the latest mass shooting. Online, speculation, blame and personal insults scarcely paused while residents of Uvalde, Texas, staggered from the massacre.

Democrats, including Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., blamed the slayings on Republican intransigence on gun control. Republicans focused on the identity of the alleged gunman.

Gallego let loose a series of profane tweets attacking Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as a "baby killer" and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., for blocking laws "that will stop these killings."

He even blasted Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who said she was "horrified and heartbroken" over the killings. Gallego said that without ending the legislative filibuster, "you might as well just say ‘thoughts and prayers.'"

At least one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has previously opposed gun control measures, suggesting any such measure would lack a simple majority, much less the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster.

Cruz invited Democratic attacks earlier in the day with comments lamenting that Democrats and the media would exploit the killings to push for gun control.

Even before the Texas shooting, Gosar, too, lashed out at Democrats as "the party of hatred."

"The Democratic party is the party of hatred. They hate America, they hate people who love America, and they hate the religion and the descendants of the people who built America," Gosar tweeted Monday.

Josh Barnett, an Arizona Republican challenging Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., quickly questioned whether the gunman was in the U.S. legally. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said Ramos was a U.S. citizen.

As of late Tuesday, the motive for the slayings remained unclear, along with definitive details about 18-year-old Ramos, whom police killed to end the siege.

Friends and family members told the Washington Post that Ramos was bullied, troubled and violent. 

Some said he wore eye makeup, grew long hair, and faced heavy bullying for his stutter and a lisp.

Photos purporting to show Ramos in skirts quickly circulated on social media, though they were debunked as featuring a person who doesn't live in Texas and wasn't involved in the slayings.

By then, the narrative of a transgender undocumented immigrant as a mass murderer swelled in social media posts from right-wing friendly sites such as Gab, which are favored by many conservatives.   

Taking action: AZ lawmakers react to Texas shooting as gun-rights bills move in Legislature

Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Subscribe to our free political podcast, The Gaggle.