The DA’s office has been aware of Michael Selyem’s racist posts since late June. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/The Sun/SCNG
A top gang prosecutor in San Bernardino County, Calif., is facing calls for his termination over a series of offensive, outwardly racist rants posted on social media.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem, a 12-year veteran of the DA’s office, is in hot water over his comments targeting outspoken congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), former First Lady Michelle Obama and Mexican immigrants, The Sun reported. He even spoke ill of a police shooting victim in posts authored on Facebook and Instagram.
According to the report, Selyem took aim at Waters in an online post, writing, “Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto, you would think someone would’ve shot this b—h by now.” Seylem also shared a doctored photo of Michelle Obama holding a sign that read “Trump grabbed my penis.”
During an argument about a police shooting, Selyem blew up at a user in the comments section, writing, “That sh-tbag got exactly what he deserved … you reap what you sow. And by the way — go f-ck yourself you liberal sh-tbag.” Another one of the prosecutor’s posts featured a Latino man sporting an oversized sombrero with the caption, “Mexican word of the day: Hide.”
The offensive posts have sparked calls from the public for the DA’s office to fire Selyem.
“ … It is disgusting that a public official sworn to protect the public would have these ugly viewpoints,” Zeke Hernandez, president of the Santa Ana League of United Latin American Citizens No. 147, told the newspaper. “The district attorney needs to take any and all appropriate action to let the public know that it does not agree with Selyem’s hateful rhetoric.”
The Sun reported that the DA’s office has known about Selyem’s racist rants since June 25 after someone in the office complained. He is now the subject of an internal investigation, officials said.
“We have been made aware of the negative comments and they do not represent the views of the District Attorney’s Office,” outgoing district attorney Mike Ramos said in a statement. “Since this is a personnel matter I cannot comment any further.”
Amid the scrutiny, Selyem deleted his Facebook and Instagram accounts.
