Did Outspoken Councilwoman Paladino Apologize, or Say "Sorry, Not Sorry"?

In the wake of the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, in which a Muslim father and son shot and killed 15 people at a Hannukah festival, New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-19) did what many people around the world did; she posted a tweet condemning the incident, and added some commentary to emphasize shock and outrage. What made the tweet so unusual, however, is that the normally outspoken Paladino later removed the tweet from her X account. In the tweet, she called for “the need to begin the expulsion of Muslims from Western nations” but claims that using the word “Muslims” was a mistake, and that she was referring to extremists or progressives- but otherwise, the tweet is what she believes. Paladino appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain why she made the post, why she ultimately removed it, and why she would probably have left it up, if given the choice.

Paladino told host Larry Mendte that she only removed the tweet in question as a favor to the new incoming City Council Speaker, Julie Menin, who wants to remove friction between various groups in the council that she will oversee: “Her office reached out to me (and said), ‘Julie’s in a precarious situation, we need her to be Speaker’. So as a favor to her, I did take the post (down), and I don’t usually do things like that ever, Larry, not ever. I stand by my words… First of all, the fact that anybody’s outraged, the outrage over this tweet, it absolutely stuns me. I think about it often, and I think to myself, I think about the progressive office… the direction in which we are going here in the city, in the country, and now all over the world. This is the reality that we all need to face.”

Paladino then doubled down on the original tweet, saying her words were meant as a warning to people to stand up to progressivism: “To go back to what you originally asked me, the reason for taking that down was not because I’m sorry. Make no mistake, I’m not sorry. I took it down because Julie needs to be Speaker, she asked me to do it for her, and I did.”  

Photo Credit: Getty Images