The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Carr’s Twitter access suspended after Biden post
BROOKFIELD — Republican First Selectman Tara Carr’s Twitter account has been suspended as she faces backlash over what Democrats are calling a “disgraceful” tweet mentioning gunfire and President Joe Biden.
On Feb. 4, Carr retweeted a Fox News photo of Biden about the suspected spy balloon that federal authorities believe came from China. Carr’s response to the original tweet stated, “He’s aiding & abetting the enemy. Ready. Aim. Fire. One shot, one kill. That simple...”
The tweet was removed from Carr’s Twitter feed as of Sunday morning and her account was suspended for violating the social network’s rules as of Monday. Carr has not responded to messages seeking comment on the social media post.
But Republican Town Committee Chair George Blass defended the post Monday, arguing Carr was suggesting how the United States should deal with the balloon, which was eventually shot down the next day after it drifted over the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of the Carolinas. He called the controversy “blown out of proportion.”
“The comment she made was taken out of context,” Blass said. “Most people would understand what she was talking about.”
The original Fox News tweet included a caption that read “after days of inaction” on the “spy balloon” believed to have been launched by China, Biden said, “we’re going to take care of it.”
Brookfield Democratic Town Committee Chair Aaron Zimmer said he didn’t know what Carr meant by the tweet, but called it “disgraceful” and “unbecoming” for “the top official in our town.”
“What we hope happens is that the people of Brookfield become aware of what type of person she really is,” Zimmer said.
Zimmer did not believe that any members of the DTC had reported the tweet to authorities and he didn’t know if anyone was investigating.
However, the DTC posted its own tweet, condemning Carr’s use of social media and referenced a possible investigation.
“Brookfield Democrats joins in the concern being raised over First Selectman Tara Carr’s recent tweets,” the post said. “We look forward to the results of an investigation and appropriate next steps. Carr’s use of social media is irresponsible, dangerous and sets a poor example for young people. She is divisive and chooses to peddle conspiracy theories, behavior unbecoming of a leader of this town.”
Carr, a U.S. Army veteran, is serving her first term as a selectman.
Born in Danbury and raised in New Milford, Carr enlisted in the Army at 17, serving for 25 years before retiring from her post in Hawaii.
In the Army, Carr rose from private to lieutenant colonel. She was a platoon leader, company commander and foreign area officer in China.
While deployed in Afghanistan, Carr was the key leader representative for the Commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force, traveling extensively and working with Afghanistan’s only female special operations unit.
“I’ve managed people in uniform, out of uniform, from foreign countries,” Carr said when she announced her decision to run for local office in 2021.