A Montana federal judge who was appointed to his post by President George W. Bush in 2001 admitted Wednesday that he forwarded a racist email to friends about President Barack Obama, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The forwarded email, which was sent from the judge's court account, appears to equate African Americans with dogs and raises questions about Obama's mixed background.
"Normally I don't send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine," Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull wrote before forwarding the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In the email, a boy asks his mother why he is black and she is white. His mother replies, " 'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you're lucky you don't bark!' "
The email evoked strong reactions within the state. "We really feel that by circulating an email like this, it really flies in the face of maintaining the honor and dignity of the position," Travis McAdam, executive director of the Montana Human Rights Network, told the Chicago Tribune.
The Great Falls Tribune spoke with Cebull, who admitted that the content was racist but says that he is not. He just doesn't like President Obama.
Read more at the Chicago Tribune.
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