(Abdul–Rahman Oladimeji Bello, Headline USA) Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’s office is re-evaluating its leadership roles following the abrupt resignation last week of press secretary Jossely Berry, who made what some interpreted to be a terroristic threat in response to a massacre at a Christian school in Nashville, Tenn.
On Friday, Hobbs’s team announced the reorganization effort,which will include the departure of Director of Communication Murphy Herbert, the Arizona Mirror reported.
The governor’s office plans to announce Herbert’s replacement next week.
Alli Bones, Hobbs’s chief of staff, insisted that Herbert’s replacement has nothing to do with Berry’s resignation, and his future in the administration is still undecided.
“This review has been going on for the past couple of weeks and … has been in the works for a while,” Bones said. “These things don’t happen overnight.”
Hobbs arrived in office with a public-image problem already under her belt due to the highly disputed nature of her “victory” over GOP challenger Kari Lake, who has been authorized in an ongoing court case to review and verify ballots that may have been fraudulently counted in Maricopa County.
In her first three months, Hobbs—the former George Soros-backed secretary of state—has continued to founder from a string of public blunders and tone-deaf messaging.
Berry’s resignation came after she controversially posted a tweet that appeared to endorse violence against “transphobes” in the immediate wake of the school shooting in which a trans-identifying woman killed three adults and three 9-year-olds, the Daily Wire reported.
The former press secretary posted a photo of actress Gena Rowlands holding two pistols in the 1980 film Gloria. Berry captioned the photo “Us when we see transphobes.”
#Breaking: @GovernorHobbs office has confirmed that press secretary @joss_berry has resigned this morning after posting this image on Twitter . Expect a full statement shortly. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/JOimLiWXj0
— Dennis Welch (@dennis_welch) March 29, 2023
Hobbs also tweeted about this carnage on Tuesday, using the occasion to suggest, albeit vaguely, that the Second Amendment was to blame for the anti-Christian terrorist attack.
“As flags across our state and our country are lowered for the six victims of school gun violence in Nashville, we mourn their loss, along with all others killed by gun violence,” Hobbs wrote.
“Our schools should be safe places for students and teachers,” she continued. “This could have and should have been prevented.”
As flags across our state and our country are lowered for the six victims of school gun violence in Nashville, we mourn their loss, along with all others killed by gun violence. Our schools should be safe places for students and teachers, this could have and should have been…
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) March 28, 2023
Critics quickly reacted to Hobbs’s tweet, forcing her to take action against her press secretary.
The Daily Wire’s podcast host Matt Walsh tweeted, “Really? This is what your press secretary thinks about this tragedy. Fire her immediately. No other answer will be acceptable.”
Really? This is what your press secretary thinks about this tragedy. Fire her immediately. No other answer will be acceptable. pic.twitter.com/cAW3pdROsS
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 29, 2023
After calls from several critics, Hobbs’s office released a statement on Wednesday, announcing that Berry had resigned.
“The Governor does not condone violence in any form. This administration holds mutual respect at the forefront of how we engage with one another,” the statement read.
“The post by the Press Secretary is not reflective of the values of the administration,” the statement added. “The Governor has received and accepted the resignation of the Press Secretary.”
