Release of Racist and Racy DA E-Mail Leads to Call for Resignation
The controversy over the e-mails of District Attorney Charles Rosenthal of Houston heated up yesterday with the disclosure of additional messages sent on government computers that contained racial slurs and off-color jokes and dealt with the DA’s re-election campaign.
A federal judge ordered the e-mails released Monday in a lawsuit by two brothers who claim they were mistreated by Harris County sheriff’s deputies, the New York Times reports. A first batch of e-mail released in the lawsuit last week contained amorous messages to a secretary with whom Rosenthal had an affair while married to his first wife.
Rosenthal has already opted not to run for re-election, but Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill said that action didn’t go far enough. “It’s time for Chuck Rosenthal to pack his bags and leave,” Woodfill told the Houston Chronicle.
One racist joke compared President Bill Clinton to a black man, according to the Houston Chronicle article. Other e-mails received by Rosenthal show women having their breasts exposed by men who pulled down their blouses in public.
Other e-mails had attachments of sexually explicit videos, but it was unclear if Rosenthal viewed or forwarded them.
One e-mail to Rosenthal’s office staff concerned a campaign barbecue while another invited workers to take the day off to help his campaign, according to the New York Times. Texas law bars public servants from using government property for personal gain.
Updated at 2:02 p.m. CST to include link to New York Times story.
