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GOP Chief Resigns Less Than Two Weeks Into Job After Saying Black People Belong In 'Wakanda'
David Roetman has resigned from his position as the executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party after less than two weeks in the role. Roetman's resignation came in the wake of controversy surrounding a series of offensive social media posts targeting women and Black individuals, as reported by KFYR TV.
In a brief statement announcing his resignation, Roetman said:
"I believe the best path forward for the NDGOP is for me to take a different path. I wish them all the best."
This development followed extensive reporting by The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which revealed Roetman had made numerous offensive social media posts, including comments that objectified women, made derogatory jokes about women, and suggested that Black people should leave the United States for Wakanda, a fictional East African kingdom featured in the movie Black Panther.
When initially confronted with the controversy, Roetman refused to issue an apology, stating:
"I am a man who stands by his words."
You can see a news report about his resignation below.
ND GOP Executive Director resigns after less than two weeks on jobwww.youtube.com
In response to Roetman's resignation, a spokesperson for the Democratic-NPL party issued the following statement:
“It’s good to hear that Mr. Roetman will not be at the helm of the North Dakota Republican Party. We’re still baffled that they offered him the position in the first place. Either the NDGOP doesn’t do its due diligence to vet its staff, or they knew about his hateful views of women and they didn’t care."
"Whichever it is, the confidence many North Dakotans once had for the Republican Party has been shaken to its core recently.”
Initially, no reason was given for Roetman's resignation, which surprised many because he'd been on the job less than two weeks. He'd been hired to replace Samantha Holly, who resigned last month because, per her statement, she "continuously felt that I was not able to perform the duties I was initially hired to do."
As news of his resignation went viral, Roetman was widely criticized online.
Sandi Sanford, NDGOP chairwoman, expressed the party's determination to move forward despite Roetman's resignation.
She said Roetman's departure "is a minor setback that won’t deter us from effectively serving the people of North Dakota." She also assured Republicans would "resume the search" for an Executive Director.
The controversy surrounding Roetman's initial appointment emerged shortly after the North Dakota Republicans decided to eliminate their code of conduct during a recent gathering of the party's state committee.