A North Carolina city council was forced to hold an emergency meeting after one of its members made a shocking post about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Following the shooting at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Henderson Councilwoman Geraldine Champion took to Facebook to express her doubts about the authenticity of the shooting.
“Now taxpayers have to pay for the fake shooting he staged,” he wrote.
In another post, he called the shooting ‘FAKE NEWS’ because no one ran immediately afterward, according to screenshots. shared by popular TikTok account Libs X.
City officials have since said she displayed “behavior inappropriate for a council member,” and the city council met briefly Wednesday to discuss its social media policy. WRAL reports.
Henderson, North Carolina Councilwoman Geraldine Champion made a shocking Facebook post about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump
She took to Facebook after the shooting to express her doubts about its authenticity, calling it “staged” and “FAKE NEWS.”
City Manager Terrell Blackmon did not explicitly connect Wednesday night’s agenda to Champion’s post at the meeting, but noted there was a gap in the city’s existing social media policy.
“There is a social media policy that applies to employees, but it doesn’t apply to the mayor or the council,” he explained.
Blackmon, Henderson’s city attorney and the mayor are now working on a new policy in response to recent events, the city manager said.
“I think it’s essential to adopt a social media policy specific to our council,” Blackmon said.
Finally, in a brief 10-minute meeting, the city council voted unanimously to adopt a new social media policy.
However, until it comes into effect, any violations of this policy will be addressed through the existing code of conduct.
Detective Sergeant Brandon Richardson was suspended from his post after posting that the gunman was “just one step away from making America great again.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Champion for comment.
The city council meeting came just days after a police officer in another North Carolina city was suspended for posting his reaction to the attempted murder.
Detective Sgt. Brandon Richardson, a 24-year veteran of the Tarboro Police Department, wrote that the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was “just an inch away from making America great again.”
The former president was shot in the ear as he turned his head at a vital moment to read a graph showing a rise in illegal immigration.
Richardson’s post has since been deleted and her Facebook account has been made private.
But Police Chief Rick Mann issued a statement Monday saying Richardson has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
“We take this matter very seriously as it does not reflect the values and standards of our department,” he wrote on Facebook.
“We understand that these types of incidents can affect public trust and we are dedicated to handling this matter with the seriousness and responsibility it deserves.”
Mann said the department took “immediate steps to address this situation,” including placing Richardson on administrative leave and launching an internal investigation to “determine the context and details surrounding the post.”
The department will also review its own social media policy.
The former president was shot in the ear as he turned his head at a vital moment to read a graph showing a rise in illegal immigration.
He clenched his fists and shouted “fight, fight, fight” as Secret Service agents led him off the stage.
Richardson has since issued an apology on his own Facebook page. CBS 17 reports.
“My attempt at black humor was completely out of place and in poor taste,” he wrote.
“I now realize that my words were not only inappropriate, but also deeply offensive to many of you. For that, I am truly sorry.”
He went on to say that he takes full responsibility for the post and asked those who read his apology to “keep Mr. Trump and his family in our thoughts as he recovers from this physical and mental injury.”
When gunshots rang out on Saturday, the former president was seen clutching his head and crouching as screams from terrified onlookers ran out.
He then stood up, clenched his fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight” as the Secret Service quickly carried him off the stage and into a motorcade.
An investigation into the shooting is currently underway, as officials question how the gunman was able to place his AR-style rifle just over 100 yards from the former president.