University appointee apologizes for 'tasteless' tweets about Michelle Obama, conspiracy theories
An insurance agent who was appointed to the University of Alaska Board of Regents is apologizing after her social media posts sparked a backlash online.
Tammy Randolph, a 57-year-old State Farm insurance agent in North Pole, Alaska, implied on Twitter that Michelle Obama is a man and showed support for conspiracy theorists behind QAnon and Pizzagate, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Randolph was appointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. Mike Dunleavy earlier this month. The Alaska Legislature has yet to confirm her appointment.
The Alaska Democratic Party took to Facebook on Friday to share screenshots of Randolph’s since deleted Twitter feed, writing, “Just what our university DOESN’T need. This is outrageous. Does this represent Mike Dunleavy’s values?”
In one of the screenshots, Randolph implies Michelle Obama is a man by writing, “well, she’s a he, so…” alongside a collage of photos of the former first lady. She also shared a post on Sept. 29 of the late attorney Johnnie Cochran removing a black glove with the caption, “If there was no sperm, you must confirm,” along with the hashtag “#ConfirmKavanaugh.”
In an emailed statement to the Anchorage Daily News, Randolph said she was embarrassed that people were interested in “personal comments I made without thinking.”
“I do take full responsibility for them however,” Randolph wrote in the statement. “While the comments were made over a period of time prior to this appointment, I believe that I owe a sincere apology for the tone of my messages and the harsh language that was used. The language expressed was out of boldness and arrogance, as it never occurred to me that they would be seen in the context of a role such as a public figure.”
She went on to say, “It’s just retweeting, but it doesn’t mean that I endorse it. I don’t have, you know, friends on Twitter … It’s not related to anything that I do. It’s just simple entertainment for me. I thought it was kind of off the grid. It’s just, you know, something to do.”
Randolph changed her Twitter username and made her account private on Friday before deactivating it all together. She told the outlet that she does not believe in QAnon and didn’t mean to offend anyone regarding the post she shared of Michelle Obama.
“Total entertainment. I just didn’t like her fashion sense, so I was equating it to the fact, well, most guys don’t have fashion sense. … That was all it was,” she told the Anchorage Daily News. “It wasn’t meant for anybody. It wasn’t meant to offend. It wasn’t racist. It wasn’t homophobic. I’m not any of those things. It wasn’t anything other than I found it amusing, that’s all.”
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner published other posts apparently made by Randolph, who denied making the posts and declined to comment. After the denial, she blocked two accounts associated with the newspaper. She deleted her account and made a second one, which the newspaper reports was also later deleted.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Why Meghan Markle’s ‘boring’ outfit is actually perfect for work
Sheriff’s office shares heartfelt story of retiring K-9’s transformation
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
