Texas congressman compares Obama to Hitler for snubbing Charlie Hebdo rally in Paris
By RYAN GORMAN
A U.S. congressman has apologized after causing an uproar Monday night with an incendiary social media post.
Texas Republican Randy Weber, who represents a district in suburban Houston, wrote on Twitter that even Adolf Hitler went to Paris, a swipe at President Barack Obama skipping the massive freedom rally over the weekend.
Weber's Tweet was deleted late Tuesday morning as he issued an apology. This the latest in a series of online shots the Texan has fired at the president.
"I need to first apologize to all those offended by my tweet," Weber said in a statement. "It was not my intention to trivialize the Holocaust nor to compare the President to Adolf Hitler.
"The mention of Hitler was meant to represent the face of evil that still exists in the world today," he continued. "I now realize that the use of Hitler invokes pain and emotional trauma for those affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust and victims of anti-Semitism and hate.
Weber called Hitler "the face of evil" and said the Paris terror attacks "remind of the evil that still is exists."
He further backpedaled, saying that "the president's actions or lack thereof is my point of contention<" before calling for people of all faiths to "unite and stand strong together against radical extremism in any form."
The Monday night tweet came after neither Obama nor any member of his cabinet appeared at a rally attended by over 40 world leaders who marched through the streets of Paris with more than one million people in a show of defiance against the threat of terrorism.
Obama was quick to call France "America's oldest ally," a reference to the country's support during the Revolutionary War, and even offered to help catch the terrorists responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attack that left 12 dead, but failed to show for the demonstration.
The White House and Secret Service, the agency responsible for providing security to high-ranking government officials, both claimed that it would be nearly impossible to clear Obama for attendance at such an open event.
But Weber, and many others, still blasted the government for failing to send even an emissary such as Vice President Joe Biden or Secretary of State John Kerry.
The White House has since admitted it was "a mistake" to not attend the event.
Weber's tweet was not well received by most of those who read it.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jack Hutton tweeted in response.
Aaron Greene told Weber to "stop eating brain tumors for breakfast, dip s**t."
Another person called Weber "subhuman" for the remarks.
This is not the first time Weber's criticism of Obama has caused a stir.
He infamously called the president a "Socialist dictator" shortly before last year's State of the Union.
Weber was in such a hurry to share his thoughts that he misspelled the word "chief" in that tweet as "chef."
Obama is set to deliver this year's State of the Union next week.
