Is bullying a child a new low for Pennsylvania Republican State Rep. Russ Diamond? It’s a tough call. Nevertheless, Democrats want his state GOP colleagues to condemn his post on X suggesting Democratic Vice President nominee Tim Walz should have left his son Gus, who is neurodivergent and has learning disabilities, at home if he didn’t want him to be mocked by people like him online.
“The PAHDCC calls on Republicans in the Pennsylvania House to condemn State Rep. Russ Diamond’s statements disparaging an elected official’s minor child and implying that disabled people should be left at home,” state democrats said in a press release issued Friday.
Diamond’s district includes a portion of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Governor Tim Walz accepted the nomination for Vice President from the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States,” he said to a roaring crowd filled with enthusiasm.
And it was those words, among many others, that produced an emotional response in many in the audience, including Walz’s son, who is neurodivergent, and was moved to tears – something Republican Trump supporters like Diamond chose to mock.
Well, Rep. Diamond is predictably doubling down. He insists that it is Governor Walz’s fault for subjecting his son to people like him. He should keep him home, according to Diamond, hidden from the world.
“Everyone, regardless of their ability status, should be free to participate in our electoral process and attend public events. Attacking a minor child of a politician is reprehensible and unbecoming of any elected official,” the PAHDCC stated.
You’d like to think this was Diamond’s first foray in posting insensitive commentary on social media. It’s not.
Diamond’s behavior this week mimics a pattern he’s created over the years, and he has appeared, for various reasons, in every Pennsylvania Court, except the PA Supreme Court, who refused to hear his case.
In 2020, then Governor Tom Wolf called on the Republican Party to censure Diamond. Governor Wolf issued a statement on the matter, according to PennLine, due to what Wolf referred to as a disparaging comment Diamond made as a “thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community,” according to CBS News Philadelphia.
READ: Move Over, Presidential Race. These State Governments Also Are Up for Grabs.
Wolf condemned Diamond’s statement and said, “We need the Republicans to stop spreading misinformation to the general public, and we badly need them to be more responsible and more responsive to the health and wellbeing of all Pennsylvanians.”
Ultimately, the Republican-controlled legislature chose not to do anything.
Diamond wasn’t the only person to cast aspersions at the nominee’s son. At the national level, Ann Coulter took a swing at Walz’ son and faced immediate backlash. She has since deleted the post.
“The PAHDCC calls on Republicans in the Pennsylvania House to condemn State Rep. Russ Diamond’s statements disparaging an elected official’s minor child and implying that disabled people should be left at home,” state democrats said.
No response yet from the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
Here are more responses on X:
