Grand Canyon Times

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) today announced that her press secretary, Josselyn Berry, has resigned following Berry’s tweet of a GIF of a gun-wielding woman with the text, “Us when we see transphobes.” 

"The Governor does not condone violence in any form. This administration holds mutual respect at the forefront of how we engage with one another," according to a statement issued by the Hobbs' office. "The post by the Press Secretary is not reflective of the values of the administration. The Governor has received and accepted the resignation of the Press Secretary." 

The Grand Canyon Times reported yesterday that Republican legislators were calling on Berry to resign following Berry's tweet, which has since been removed from Twitter. 

"The Press Sec. for @GovernorHobbs has RESIGNED over this vile tweet calling for violence against Democrats’ political opponents," tweeted the Arizona Freedom Caucus. "Katie Hobbs should stop surrounding herself with far-left partisans & instead hire people focused on doing the work of the people."

Berry’s tweet came a day after three students and three adults were killed at a shooting at a private Christian grade school in Nashville, TN. The shooter, who was killed by police “was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a Nashville resident, who identified as a transgender woman,” reported Fox News. 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Berry was the communications director for the Arizona Senate Democratic Caucus when the organization retracted a press statement that featured a quote from Assata Shakur. Shakur, whose real name is Joanne Deborah Chesimard, was convicted in 1977 of murdering a New Jersey State Trooper, escaped from prison, and is currently at-large and a member of the FBI’s Most Wanted List.