Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL-4) wrote President and Mrs. Obama a letter on Wednesday expressing his outrage at a racist Tweet attributed to the top Advisor to the Speaker of the House inPuerto Rico. He also wrote the Speaker calling for the advisor’s termination. In the letter to the Obamas, the Congressman, a Chicago-born Puerto Rican, said:
As a Puerto Rican, I believe it is appropriate to share with you my outrage regarding this message. I want you to know that I have called for Ms. Wys to be removed immediately from any position, formal or informal, that she holds with the government ofPuerto Rico. Sentiments like this simply cannot be tolerated, and the Puerto Rican leaders responsible for her employment should act without hesitation.
On July 26, Heidi Anne Wys, Advisor to Speaker Jennifer González, responded to a twitter picture posted by the President celebrating the First Lady’s birthday, with the outrageous comment, «Who cares? Take her to Burger King, buy her a sundae with double banana, take her to your homeland, Kenya!» It has received extensive coverage, especially in Puerto Rico, including the Associated Press, El Nuevo Día and Noticel. A screen capture of the original tweet and Heidi Wys’ response is available here.
The Letter to President and Mrs. Obama is here: LINK
The Letter to Speaker González (in Spanish) is here: LINK
