Spokesperson for Democrat AZ Gov. Katie Hobbs appears to call for gun violence against 'transphobes' just hours after Nashville church school massacre

UPDATE 5 p.m. ET: The spokesperson has resigned.

Original story below

The spokesperson for Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs appeared to call for gun violence against "transphobes" in a Twitter post just hours after Monday's Nashville church school massacre.

What are the details?

Hobbs' spokesperson Josselyn Berry late Monday posted an image on the social media platform from the 1980 movie "Gloria" depicting a woman holding a gun in each hand and pointing the firearms forward; the caption reads, "Us when we see transphobes," the Arizona Republic reported.

Berry's tweets are protected as of Wednesday morning, but screenshots of her tweet in question are circulating:

The Nashville shooter — who was fatally shot by police — identified as transgender. A theory from the left is that the shooter may have acted out of anger against Christians and conservatives for stances against trans and LBGTQ lifestyles — as well as against recently enacted Tennessee laws banning drag shows outside age-restricted venues and banning puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and gender-related surgeries for children.

Along the same lines, a journalist who has contributed to NBC News as well as the New York Times, Reuters, and the Washington Post appeared to suggest in now-deleted tweet that conservative news outlet the Daily Wire — which is headquartered in Nashville — is to blame for the massacre.

What has been the reaction?

Republicans and noteworthy conservatives have been fuming over Berry's tweet.

The Arizona Republic said the Arizona Freedom Caucus called for Berry's dismissal, saying that "calling for violence like this is un-American & never acceptable."

The leader of the caucus, Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, said Berry was "threatening to shoot people Democrats disagree with less than 12 hours after the Nashville shooting," the paper added.

Other reactions:

• "Now surely this wouldn’t be a post from Katie [Hobbs'] press secretary would it?" TheBlaze's Chad Prather wondered sarcastically. "She better not have a job tomorrow."
• The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway said, "As Twitter bans anyone who does factual reporting about a planned Trans Day of Vengeance this week, note how it allows violent threats from Democrat Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs' press secretary against anyone who opposes radical gender ideology."
• Kari Lake, who lost to Hobbs for Arizona governor last fall, wrote that "if a conservative made light of a mass shooting & called for more violence, they’d be personally & professionally destroyed. But a member of Katie Hobbs’ staff did just that & the media is silent. We don't partake in cancel culture — but the media’s bias has never been clearer."

Anything else?

Berry did not respond to a phone call or text messages seeking comment Tuesday night from the Arizona Republic. The paper added that it was the same story with Murphy Hebert, Hobbs' director of communications, and that an email request to the governor's office elicited no response.

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