Ex-GOP lawmaker hits Kyle Kashuv’s racist posts: ‘These are the social media postings we see of a shooter’

Former Republican Rep. David Jolly (Fla.) on Tuesday warned that the racist, anti-Semitic language which caused Harvard to rescind the admission of Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Kyle Kashuv is similar to rhetoric used by school shooters.

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle asked if Jolly thought the Ivy League school’s decision was political, given the fact that 18-year-old Kashuv is one of the few students who advocated for gun rights following the 2018 massacre at his Parkland, Fla., high school.

“I don’t,” Jolly replied. “I think this is the perfect story for our time. Within our culture, leaders are given greater permission to racist statements and people with racist feelings. They are given greater equity. It is important for Harvard to say, ‘Not in our community.’”{mosads}

Jolly pointed to HuffPost’s report about comments Kashuv made prior to the shooting on a shared Google doc with classmates which repeatedly used the N-word and included the phrase “kill all the f—ing jews.”

The student also reportedly wrote that he would “f—ing make a CSOG map of Douglas and practice,” which the outlet noted was likely a reference to the shooting game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.”

“And he referred to one of the shoot-‘em-up video games and said they should put a map of that on his high school,” Jolly said. “And this was two years before Parkland. And my immediate reaction when I really dug into this, these are the social media postings we see of a shooter and we ask, ‘Where were the signs?’”

 “See something, say something. We see a shooter and then we go back and look at social media posts and this is exactly what we see,” the former congressman continued. “I understand the sensitivity of this man because of Parkland. I’m not a mental health professional to assess him on those grounds.”

Ruhle asked if Jolly’s suggestions were “too far” of a leap.

“It is not,” Jolly responded. “No, it is not, Stephanie.”

Jolly pointed to how Kashuv has become a prominent member among high-profile conservative and gun rights groups, even meeting with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump in the Oval Office last year.

Wonderful to meet @KyleKashuv today. His message of unity is one we should all share. Thank you for visiting us at the @WhiteHouse & hope you enjoyed your surprise meeting with @potus! Wishing you much success w @TheReachOutApp. pic.twitter.com/K4aGydo1uX

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 8, 2018

Kashuv was also invited to speak at a political rally for Florida Republicans like top Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and appeared at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention.

“You have to question how do we promote somebody with these social media posts in their background?” Jolly asked. “The young man deserves redemption. But he also deserves a closer look to whether someone with this profile should be able to purchase a firearm under the gun laws of the United States.”

Kashuv announced on Monday that he had been made aware of “egregious and callous comments” he made when he was 16 years old.

He said he was “embarrassed” by the “idiotic comments” but insisted they no longer reflected how he is now.

“When your classmates, your teachers, and your neighbors are killed it transforms you as a human being,” he wrote. “I can and will do better moving forward.”

1/ THREAD: Harvard rescinded my acceptance.

Three months after being admitted to Harvard Class of 2023, Harvard has decided to rescind my admission over texts and comments made nearly two years ago, months prior to the shooting.

I have some thoughts. Here’s what happened.

— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) June 17, 2019

Kashuv during an interview with Fox News’ Ed Henry on Monday pointed to how Harvard was founded by slaveowners in the 1600s.

“You’re mentioning that they had slaveowners in the 1600s. You using the N-word was, what, a year, a year and a half ago?”

“Two years ago,” Kashuv replied.

“Two years ago,” Henry noted. “A little more recent. I go back to my first question: How do we know that you’ve really changed? What specifically — you went through an awful tragedy in Florida — and have been hailed by some, and you should be, for your poise going through a tragedy that I can’t even imagine. But what specifically has changed in you the past two years where you would no longer write the N-word or say the N-word?”

“It’s because I matured tremendously,” Kashuv replied. “I am no longer in the friend group where we act immaturely like idiotic children. It’s the fact that I have condemned racism in every opportunity that I can in this public life I didn’t really ask for.”