This image was removed due to legal reasons. Activists are reportedly calling for the firing of a top prosecutor in San Bernardino County, CA after a number of his racist, sexist, xenophobic, and transphobic social media posts were uncovered last week, including one where he called California Rep. Maxine Waters a “loud-mouthed cunt in the ghetto” and openly wondered why someone hasn’t “shot this bitch by now.” Advertisement The San Bernardino Sun reports: Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem, who joined the D.A.’s Office 12 years ago, targeted outspoken U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, former first lady Michelle Obama, Mexican immigrants and the victim of a police shooting in Facebook and Instagram posts labeled by one critic as “hateful rhetoric.” Of Waters, Selyem said: “Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now.” Lest we forget: Selyem also reportedly also posted a meme of Michelle Obama holding a sign that said “Trump grabbed my penis,” and got in a Facebook argument with someone over the cops killing a civilian, where he told another commenter to “go fuck yourself you liberal shitbag.” According to the Sun, the posts were screenshotted by a Los Angeles accountant named Pedro Cala, who was tipped off by a former employee of the D.A.’s office. “He literally holds the lives of citizens in his hands, and it’s just not right,” Cala told the Sun. “I am disgusted by his spouting of racist, xenophobic and sexist posts. A person that harbors these types of views, and feels such courage to espouse them with impunity, does not belong in the District Attorney’s office administering prejudiced and jaundiced jurisprudence.” Advertisement Selyem, described by the Sun as the “lead attorney in a unit tasked with cracking down on criminal gang activity,” has deleted his social media accounts and, in true coward fashion, hung up on a Sun reporter when he was reached via phone. In addition to the blatant racism, Selyem also reportedly let his fash flag fly on Facebook. (Emphasis mine.) Selyem apparently is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. Beneath a Facebook post offering free tickets to Trump’s presidential inauguration, Selyem wrote, “I love that all of you liberal f—–g p—–s are so filled with hate. Gonna be a long 8 years for you scumbags. choo choo trump” Beneath a Breitbart News post about the Budweiser Super Bowl ad that celebrated the immigrant success story of the beer empire’s founder, Selyem wrote: “I am all for white males immigrating here legally and starting a business. It is the terrorist a–holes sneaking in here wanting to kill me an (sic) my family that I am opposed to. I cannot believe how shallow democrats are. They must really think people are stupid. I guess that is evident because they actually thought Hilary (sic) Clinton could win a presidential election… TWICE!!! LMFAO!! !”﻿ Advertisement “We have been made aware of the negative comments and they do not represent the views of the District Attorney’s Office,” San Bernardino County DA Mike Ramos, who lost his re-election bid in June, said in a statement. “Since this is a personnel matter I cannot comment any further.” Incoming San Bernardino district attorney Jason Anderson, who defeated Ramos last month, told the Sun that the posts were “a little bit salty,” and that they weren’t “a reflection of the image I would like to portray of the D.A.’s office.” Advertisement “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 Sun. “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...this has gone beyond a simple error in judgment. It is clearly outside the boundaries of civil service norms.”<doc-sep>Michael Selyem, a San Bernardino County, California, deputy district attorney, was suspended by the DA's office Monday in the wake of intense backlash over his recently unearthed social media posts. Mike Ramos, the San Bernardino County DA, said in a statement Monday that Selyem will be placed on administrative leave while an investigation into his actions takes place, according to KABC-TV. "The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office does not condone hate, discrimination or incitement of violence," Ramos said in a statement posted Monday afternoon. "Our community and the entire criminal justice system depends on having fair, ethical, and unbiased prosecutors." The investigation could lead to "disciplinary action leading up to termination," according to Ramos. Selyem came under fire after his Facebook and Instagram posts, which included one post where he openly wondered why "ghetto" Maxine Waters hadn't been shot, were first reported by the San Bernardino Sun last week. "Being a loud-mouthed c*** in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now," he commented on a video of U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) last month. Selyem also called the victim of a police shooting a "shitbag" who "got exactly what he deserved." "You reap what you sow," he said. "And by the way go fuck yourself you liberal shitbag." The Sun also reported that other posts from Selyem included a photo of a Mexican man in a sombrero with the caption "Mexican word of the day: Hide" and a doctored photo of former first lady Michelle Obama holding a sign that said, "Trump grabbed my penis." Selyem's posts drew intense criticism ahead of Monday afternoon's press conference. "Racist, bigoted, sexist Deputy DA Michael Selyem MUST be fired after his vulgar death threat against Congresswoman Maxine Waters," activist Shaun King posted on Twitter Monday. "I don't want my taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for the salary of Michael Selyem," another user posted. Selyem did not respond to Newsweek's repeated requests for comment. Before he was placed on administrative leave, Selyem had served since 2006 as the lead attorney for the San Bernardino Central Hardcore Gang Unit, according to his LinkedIn page. In this role, Selyem oversaw the response to a rising gang presence in San Bernardino County. "Close to half" of homicides in the county had a "gang-related element," Mike Madden, a spokesman for the San Bernardino Police Department, told The Sun in 2016.<doc-sep>A prosecutor in the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office has been placed on administrative leave after writing offensive social media comments. The San Bernardino Sun first reported that the office’s lead gang prosecutor, Michael Selyem, was under investigation for rants targeting U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), former First Lady Michelle Obama, Mexican immigrants and the victim of a police shooting. In a news conference Monday, San Bernardino County Dist. Atty. Michael Ramos said he was offended by the comments. And in a written statement, Ramos said: “The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office does not condone hate, discrimination or incitement of violence. Our community and the entire criminal justice system depends on having fair, ethical, and unbiased prosecutors.” Advertisement The Sun reports that Selyem, who joined the office 12 years ago, wrote of Waters: “Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now …” The newspaper also reports that Selyem got into an online argument over the police shooting of a civilian, writing, “That s—bag got exactly what he deserved. … You reap what you sow. And by the way go f— yourself you liberal s—bag.” “As the district attorney, I was really concerned with comments regarding officer-involved shootings, because we handle those cases, as you know, on a daily basis,” Ramos said at the news conference. “To make any comments … impacts the ability for us to ensure the integrity of this office.” The district attorney’s office received information on June 28 regarding negative comments posted online by Selyem, according to Ramos. The district attorney said there were “more than several” complaints. Staff and managers spoke and then contacted human resources and “took immediate steps to start a personnel investigation.” “This could end up being some form of disciplinary action, up to termination,” Ramos said. “We haven’t decided that yet. We’re following the rules and regulations of California.” An assistant district attorney has been assigned to look at cases Selyem handled in the gang unit. However, Ramos said there is no indication that Selyem had any type of bias regarding his cases, but “that’s not to say we won’t review them, especially if there’s a request to do so.” While there is not a specific social media policy in place, Ramos said, there are policies regarding professional conduct as a prosecutor. “You’re a prosecutor 24/7; it’s not an 8 to 5 job,” Ramos said. “The public looks at you as leaders in the community.” Advertisement brittny.mejia@latimes.com Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia UPDATES: Advertisement 1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details on an assistant district attorney being assigned to look at cases Selyem handled in the gang unit. This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.<doc-sep>
A top gang prosecutor in San Bernardino County, Calif., is reportedly under investigation for a series of offensive social media posts aimed at figures including Rep. Maxine Waters Maxine Moore WatersFauci may have unwittingly made himself a key witness for Trump in 'China Flu' hate-speech case Of inmates and asylums: Today's House Republicans make the John Birchers look quaint Juan Williams: Tim Scott should become a Democrat MORE (D-Calif.) and former first lady Michelle Obama Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaPelosi: George Floyd daughter's prediction that he would 'change the world' is coming true Jill Biden recognizes Fauci as an 'American hero' Michelle Obama shows support for foundation created to honor Kobe, Gigi Bryant's memory MORE. The Orange County Register reported on Monday that Deputy District Attorney Michael Selyem, who joined the district attorney’s office 12 years ago, is the target of an internal probe after sharing, and since deleting, offensive social media posts about Mexican immigrants and the victim of a police shooting. The posts have sparked demands for his dismissal. ADVERTISEMENT The Register reports that Selyem posted a doctored image of Obama holding a sign that said “Trump grabbed my penis," and also called Waters a "loud-mouthed c---." “Being a loud-mouthed c#nt in the ghetto you would think someone would have shot this bitch by now …” he reportedly said in a post. The newspaper also reports that Selyem is being investigated for comments he made about a victim of a police shooting. He reportedly said in an argument over the incident that “That shitbag got exactly what he deserved. … You reap what you sow. And by the way go f--- yourself you liberal shitbag.” The newspaper noted that it is unclear what shooting was being alluded to by Selyem, who is a lead attorney in a unit tasked with cracking down on criminal gang activity. Selyem also called out a Budweiser Super Bowl ad earlier this year, saying “I am all for white males immigrating here legally and starting a business." "It is the terrorist a–holes sneaking in here wanting to kill me an (sic) my family that I am opposed to," he added. "I cannot believe how shallow democrats are. They must really think people are stupid. I guess that is evident because they actually thought Hilary (sic) Clinton could win a presidential election… TWICE!!! LMFAO!! !” The District Attorney's office has known about the social media posts since June 25, after someone within the office complained about them. “We have been made aware of the negative comments and they do not represent the views of the District Attorney’s Office. Since this is a personnel matter I cannot comment any further," outgoing District Attorney Mike Ramos said in a statement. The Register reported that before Selyem's posts were deleted, his rants were captured in screenshots that were then sent to Los Angeles accountant Pedro Cala. Cala then forwarded them to public officials and the Southern California News Group.