Trump Appointee Resigns After Bigoted Comments Surface

Enlarge this image toggle caption Corporation for National and Community Service, via YouTube Corporation for National and Community Service, via YouTube

Carl Higbie, who was appointed by President Trump to serve in the federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and other volunteer service programs, has resigned his high-level post and apologized after a report emerged quoting racist and anti-Muslim remarks he made in 2013.

Ranging from callous to provocative and often tipping into bigotry, Higbie's comments were unearthed by CNN's KFile unit, which published audio clips taken from the Internet talk radio program Sound of Freedom, which Higbie hosted, and other sources. In addition to their bigotry, many of the remarks promulgated outright falsehoods.

"We're promoting birth control to a black woman because of the incredibly high rate of children born out of wedlock that are undercared for or not cared for at all," Higbie said in one quote from a segment in which he accused black people of "a lax of morality."

In another segment that dealt with immigration, Higbie is quoted saying, "What's so wrong with wanting to put up a fence and saying, 'Hey, everybody with a gun, if you want to go shoot people coming across our border illegally, you can do it' " for free.

After the CNN report emerged, Higbie resigned from his post. He also apologized via Twitter, saying: "I'm sorry. I'm not sorry that my words were published, I am sorry that I said them in 2013. Those words do not reflect who I am or what I stand for, I regret saying them."

Higbie said he was resigning so that he wouldn't be a distraction.

Higbie is a former Navy SEAL who served in Iraq and was a Trump surrogate during the 2016 campaign. He was then appointed to the post of chief of external affairs in the Corporation for National and Community Service.

After Trump's election win, Higbie was criticized by members of Congress, including Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., for citing the U.S. use of Japanese internment camps during World War II as a precedent for a potential immigrant registry.

In another quote from the CNN piece, Higbie said, "I was called an Islamophobe and I was like, 'no, no, no, no, no, I'm not afraid of them. I don't like them. Big difference.' And they were like, 'well, you're racist.' I was like, fine if that's the definition of it, then I guess I am.' "

Higbie also criticized the majority of veterans who say they suffer from PTSD, saying that most of them are either "milking" the system for money or lying about their conditions. If a veteran acts out because of PTSD, he said, it's because they have "a weak mind."

In addition to Higbie's own show, he made comments about Muslims and President Barack Obama on online talk radio programs with titles such as Where's Obama's Birth Certificate and Warrior Talk Radio.</s>Cape Town May Become the First City To Lose Its Water

Carl Higbie, a former Navy Seal who was appointed by Trump as chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service (the agency that runs AmeriCorps) resigned on Thursday after CNN’s KFILE uncovered racist, anti-Muslim, homophobic, and misogynistic remarks made by Higbie on conservative radio shows.

Some of Higbie’s homophobic remarks can be heard in the clip up top.

Higbie, a former Navy SEAL and conservative media personality, was a surrogate for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, appearing on cable news and serving as the spokesman for the Trump-aligned Great America PAC. He was appointed to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in 2017 to direct the public image and messaging of the federal department that manages millions of Americans in volunteer services like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.</s>Trump administration appointee and former campaign surrogate Carl Higbie resigned Thursday as chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, after reports he had a history of making racist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic comments.

"Go back to your Muslim shithole and go crap in your hands and bang little boys on Thursday nights," Higbie said during a June 2013 episode of his Internet talk show, "The Sound of Freedom," unearthed by CNN.

"I just don't like Muslim people. People always rip me a new one for that. Carl, you're racist, you can't, you're sexist. I'm like, Jesus Christ. I just don't like Muslim people because their ideology sucks," he added.

In a February 2013 episode, he argued Americans should be allowed to shoot illegal immigrants caught crossing the U.S. border.

In other instances, he made disparaging remarks about African-Americans, gay people, and senior California Democrats Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

CNCS confirmed Higbie's departure to CNN, while the White House did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment.

CNCS coordinates service initiatives such as AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, according to the organization's website.

Higbie, a former Navy SEAL, also stirred controversy in November when he said Japanese internment during World War II created a "precedent" for registering Muslim immigrants. He was speaking in his capacity as a spokesman for the Great America Political Action Committee, a pro-Trump super PAC, at the time.</s>Carl Higbie, the head of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), resigned from the Trump administration on Thursday after CNN uncovered derogatory comments he made about black people, women, LGBT people and Muslims.

Effective immediately, Carl Higbie has resigned as Chief of External Affairs at CNCS,” CNCS spokesperson Samantha Jo Warfield told CNN in a statement Thursday.

Higbie, who oversaw public relations for government service organizations like AmeriCorps, has made several degrading comments about minorities in the past on talk radio.

In 2013, he said that black people have a “lax of morality” and said that black people on welfare “think that breeding is a form of employment,” according to a clip uncovered by CNN. In 2013, he openly said that he does not “like” Muslim people.

“People always rip me a new one for that. Carl, you’re racist, you can’t, you’re sexist. I’m like Jesus Christ. I just don’t like Muslim people because their ideology sucks,” Higbie said on an online talk radio show, “Sound of Freedom.”

Higbie also said that he does not “like” gay people while lamenting the legalization of gay marriage and called Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) a “bitch.”</s>President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the government’s volunteer service organization has resigned after a CNN report revealed that the appointee had made racist and other inflammatory remarks.

Carl Higbie, chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service, made racist, sexist, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT while appearing on the “Sound of Freedom” radio show in 2013.

“I’m sorry,” Higbie Friday morning. “I’m not sorry that my words were published, I am sorry that I said them in 2013. Those words do not reflect who I am or what I stand for, I regret saying them.”

In the 2013 segment, he made several comments against African-Americans, Muslims and homosexuals. He also said that soldiers suffering from PTSD had “weak mind[s]” and said that gun-carrying Americans should be permitted to shoot undocumented immigrants.

“Last night I informed the WH that I was resigning so as not to distract from POTUS’ many success. #noexcuses,” Higbie added.

The Corporation for National and Community Service, established in 1993, connects volunteers with service opportunities. The federal agency oversees millions of Americans in services that include AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. Higbie, a longtime Trump supporter, was appointed to the CNCS in August 2017.

A spokeswoman for the agency, Samantha Jo Warfield, confirmed Higbie’s resignation in a statement.</s>Trump administration appointee Carl Higbie resigned Thursday as chief of external affairs of the federal agency Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), after an investigation revealed he had a history of making racist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic comments.

Higbie, a former Navy SEAL and a surrogate for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, was found to have made several racist and inflammatory remarks during his time as the host of the radio program "Sound of Freedom," on Internet talk radio several years ago. The comments were unearthed in an investigation by CNN’s KFile.

In one podcast from December 2013 Higbie claimed "the black race" had "lax" morals and that black women thought "breeding is a form of government employment."

Speaking about a time he advertized for free firewood, he, on the radio program, once said: "Only one person was actually cordial to me. Every other black person was rude. They wanted me to either load the wood, completely split it for them or some sort of you know assistance in labor. Now, mind you the ad was for free firewood, come take it all you want. And I believe that this translates directly into the culture that is breeding this welfare and the high percentage of people on welfare in the black race. It's a lax of morality."

He also said he was bothered by black Americans calling themselves African-Americans when they had not been to Africa: "So barring dual citizenship, you're American or you're African, but you're not both. I don't care what you think. That's another thing that just sets me off."

Not just racist comments, Higbie was also heard on the radio show demeaning Muslims and also referred to members of the military suffering from severe PTSD as having "a weak mind" and that they were faking it to obtain federal money. In one episode in 2013, he said U.S. citizens with guns should be allowed to shoot undocumented immigrants at the border. In a following episode he revealed what he felt about gay people: "You know, I don't like gay people. I just don't."

The conservative media personality was asked by the president to direct the public image and messaging of the CNCS external affairs bureau in August. The non-profit organization, according to its website, connects volunteers with service opportunities across the world in the areas of disaster services, economic opportunities, etc. It also manages volunteer services like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.

After his departure from CNCS, Samantha Jo Warfield, a spokesperson from the organization issued a statement that said: "Effective immediately, Carl Higbie has resigned as Chief of External Affairs at CNCS."

Previously, he served as the spokesman for the Trump-aligned Great America PAC, during the time he ginned up controversy by coming out in support of Trump’s controversial campaign promise of a Muslim registry. In an interview on Megyn Kelly’s Fox News show in November 2016, Higbie cited the effectiveness of Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during World War II as "precedent" for a Muslim registry system.

"We’ve done it based on race, we’ve done it based on religion, we’ve done it based on region. We’ve done it with Iran back — back a while ago. We did it during World War II with Japanese," Higbie said.

Higbie reportedly also enjoyed a close relationship with the Trump family.</s>A US official appointed by President Donald Trump has resigned after CNN posted excerpts of him making racist and Islamophobic comments on a radio show he used to host, the news network reported.

Carl Higbie resigned from his post as external affairs chief at the Corporation for National and Community Service, according to a statement from CNCS spokeswoman Samantha Jo Warfield, CNN said.

Higbie, the CNCS - an agency that runs volunteer groups including AmeriCops, Senior Corps and the Social Innovation Fund - and the White House were not immediately available for comment.

CNN KFile, the network's investigative reporting team, posted recordings of Higbie's internet talk radio show "Sound of Freedom" from 2013 and 2014 in which he expresses his dislike of Muslims, black people and homosexuality.

"I just don't like Muslim people. People always rip me a new one for that. 'Carl, you're racist, you can't, you're sexist.' I'm like, Jesus Christ, I just don't like Muslim people because their ideology sucks," he says in one excerpt, describing Islam as "the ideology of a child molester".

In another he tells Muslims: "Go back to your Muslim shithole and go crap in your hands and bang little boys on Thursday nights."

Trump was accused by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of repeatedly using the word "shithole" when speaking about African countries during a meeting about immigration last week at the White House, causing diplomatic outrage in many African countries.

Trump has denied he is a racist, telling a reporter on Sunday: "I'm the least racist person you have ever interviewed."</s>An appointee of President Donald Trump has resigned from the federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and other service programs after remarks he made disparaging blacks, Muslims, gays, women, veterans with PTSD and undocumented immigrants surfaced in the news media.

Carl Higbie lasted less than six months as the chief of external affairs in the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Higbie’s Thursday afternoon resignation, which was prompted after CNN unearthed the comments he reportedly made, comes amid increased scrutiny of the president’s appointees for racist or anti-Muslim statements made in the past.

In November, the Department of Homeland Security’s Jamie Johnson, another Trump appointee, resigned after comments he made that linked blacks to “laziness” and “promiscuity” came to light. Last week, Pete Hoekstra, the new U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands and a former Republican congressman, apologized after uproar over baseless anti-Muslim theories he had spread multiple times in past.

According to the reporting and audio clips published by CNN on Thursday, Higbie had a lengthy track record of making strongly racist and anti-Muslim statements before his appointment.

In 2013, he spoke about giving away free firewood while working in Virginia Beach on “Sound of Freedom,” an Internet talk radio show that he hosted, according to CNN. Higbie said that black women think “breeding is a form of government employment,” and that blacks were “lax of morality,” and that culture “is breeding this welfare and the high percentage of people on welfare in the black race.”

In another talk show appearance in 2013, he expressed dislike for the term “African-Americans.”

“The whole African-American thing gets me whipped up because it’s like 99 percent – and I’m paraphrasing here – of people who write down African-American have never been to Africa,” he said.

He also spoke disparagingly of Islam, saying that he didn’t like Muslims “because their ideology sucks,” and that he was fine if his views caused him to be labeled a racist.

“I just don’t like Muslim people. People always rip me a new one for that. ‘Carl, you’re racist, you can’t, you’re sexist.’ I’m like Jesus Christ,” Higbie said on “Sound of Freedom” in 2013.

On another podcast, Warrior Talk Radio, in 2014, according to CNN, he struck a similar chord.

“I was called an Islamophobe and I was like, ‘no, no, no, no, no, I’m not afraid of them. I don’t like them. Big difference,’ ” he said on the show. “And they were like, ‘Well, you’re racist.’ I was like, fine if that’s the definition of it, then I guess I am.'”

This is not the first round of controversy for Higbie, who worked as the spokesman for pro-Trump super PAC Great America before the 2016 election. During an appearance on Fox News shortly after the election, he cited Japanese internment camps during World War II as a “precedent” for some of the president’s potential immigration plans and the remarks drew wide condemnation.

Nonetheless, he was appointed to the position at the CNCS, which runs AmeriCorps and other volunteering initiatives, and has programs dedicated to rebuilding after natural disasters and supporting veterans and their families, including helping them transition once they return home.

In other audio unearthed by CNN, Higbie, a former Navy SEAL, derided military veterans with PTSD as having “a weak mind,” and said he thought a large majority of people with PTSD were being dishonest.

“I’d say 75 percent of people with PTSD don’t actually have it, and they’re either milking something for a little extra money in disability or they’re just, they honestly are just lying,” he said on another talk radio show in 2014.

Samantha Jo Warfield, a CNCS spokeswoman, declined to comment on the circumstances of Higbie’s resignation.

Of undocumented immigrants, Higbie, on another episode of “Sound of Freedom” in 2013, said that Americans with guns should be able to shoot undocumented immigrants who attempted to cross into the United States at the border.

“What’s so wrong with wanting to put up a fence and saying, ‘Hey, everybody with a gun, if you want to go shoot people coming across our border illegally, you can do it fo’ free,'” Higbie said. “You cross my border, I will shoot you in the face. I will go down there. I’ll volunteer to go down there and stand on that border for, I don’t know, a week or so at a time and that’ll be my civil duty.”

He also spoke harshly about Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also on “Sound of Freedom,” calling the California Democrat a “bitch,” and saying he’d love to smack her and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s heads together.

“Nothing gets me going like Ted Cruz, when he went off on that Feinstein bitch about the Second Amendment. And he put her in her place, that was just fantastic. I can’t stand that woman,” Higbie said. “Her and Pelosi. I’d love to just take both their heads and smack them together a couple of times.”

During another appearance on “Sound of Freedom,” he spoke about the legalization of gay marriage in Rhode Island.

“Congratuf’in’lations, you suck, Rhode Island. Why would you do that?’ he said. “I mean, you are breaking the morals, the moral fiber of our country. You know, I don’t like gay people. I just don’t.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.</s>A US official appointed by President Donald Trump has resigned after CNN posted excerpts of him making racist and Islamophobic comments on a radio show he used to host, the news network reported.



Carl Higbie resigned from his post as external affairs chief at the Corporation for National and Community Service, according to a statement from CNCS spokeswoman Samantha Jo Warfield, CNN said.



Higbie, the CNCS - an agency that runs volunteer groups including AmeriCops, Senior Corps and the Social Innovation Fund - and the White House were not immediately available for comment.



CNN KFile, the network's investigative reporting team, posted recordings of Higbie's internet talk radio show "Sound of Freedom" from 2013 and 2014 in which he expresses his dislike of Muslims, black people and homosexuality.</s>(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A government official appointed by US President Donald Trump has resigned after racist and sexist comments he made were uncovered.

Carl Higbie was the external affairs chief at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) agency, which runs volunteer groups.

Mr Higbie made the comments on an internet radio show he presented before joining the Trump administration.

On Friday, Mr Higbie said on Twitter that he was sorry for the comments.

CNN posted recordings of Mr Higbie making comments of a racist, sexist and homophobic nature on the talk radio show, Sound of Freedom, in 2013 and 2014.

“I just don’t like Muslim people because their ideology sucks,” he said, saying that if this made him racist then “fine if that’s the definition of it”. He also made obscene comments about Muslim people.

On another occasion he said black people had “lax” morals and black women thought “breeding [was] a form of government employment”. Another time he said that by recognising same-sex marriages, Rhode Island state was “breaking the morals” of the US.

Announcing his resignation on Friday, Mr Higbie apologised for the comments, saying they did not reflect what he stood for.

Mr Higbie was appointed by Mr Trump to be the external affairs chief at the CNCS agency in August 2017.

The agency runs volunteer groups including AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and the Social Innovation Fund.

Mr Higbie is a former Navy SEAL who served two tours of Iraq. During one of his radio shows, the veteran said that post-traumatic stress disorder was “a trait of a weak mind”./BBC
Carl Higbie, Corporation for National and Community Service Chief of External Affairs, apologizes and resigns from his position with the agency that runs AmeriCorps after racist and anti-Muslim remarks he made in 2013 are reported by CNN.