Franklin councilor under fire for disparaging post about Democrats, immigrants
FRANKLIN (Daily Journal) — A Franklin City Council member said he will answer questions Monday about a social media post that referred to s***hole countries, Democrats, votes and the United States.
Joe Ault, a Republican, shared the Facebook post on Friday night and pulled it down Monday afternoon. It came from a “conservative group” that said that “We bring people from s***hole countries because s***hole Democrats need s***hole votes so they can turn America into a s***hole. Do you agree?”
The Daily Journal, a partner paper with WISH-TV, reported Ault did not offer any additional commentary with the post, and he had not responded on social media to any of the dozens of comments that were posted that called him a racist or other names or demanded his resignation.
Ault’s post came hours after the national news that President Donald Trump had grown frustrated with lawmakers in a meeting in the Oval Office last week and reportedly questioned why people from s***hole countries were coming to the United States.
Commenters called Ault an embarrassment to the city, The Daily Journal said. Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett encouraged the angry residents he was hearing from to vote in the next city election.
“I do not agree with the statement that he made,” Barnett told The Daily Journal.
The mayor stressed repeatedly that it is not a representation of the city or its officials and that he was deeply disappointed in Ault’s post. The mayor said he did not ask Ault to resign.
The Daily Journal reported a group called People For A Progressive Franklin said it was working on a letter to present at the next city council meeting, which is set for 6 p.n. Jan. 22, and was contacting council president Ken Austin.
Ault has been an elected member of the Franklin City Council for more than 20 years and represents District 1. He is also a reserve deputy for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, a position that gives him the authority to ticket motorists, detain and arrest people or take on private jobs by companies or entertainment venues that need security service.