Just 24 hours after the deputy mayor of Chris Christie's hometown posted an anti-immigrant rant, he has announced his resignation effective immediately.
According to WNYC reporter Matt Katz, Mendham Township Deputy Mayor Rick Blood was a republican that didn't garner the fanfare that other Republicans like Rob Porter received.
"This matter is closed," it was announced during the township committee meeting Monday, according to a video posted by NJ.com reporter Rob Jennings. The announcement was met with applause from the audience.
Blood copy and pasted a racist rant that he then posted on his Facebook page that has been tied to other viral posts by supporters of President Donald Trump. It was taken from similar remarks in April 2016 by New York Trump co-chair Carl Paladino, NJ.com reported.
Blood told the paper that he removed the post Sunday night after there were complaints. He's since posted an apology.
"My position is that immigration needs to be fixed," he wrote on Facebook. He also noted that he was attempting to explain why Trump supporters continue to support the president despite the many broken promises.
"We need them at all levels of society -- from farm workers to technology people. We need to do this is an orderly fashion," Blood said of immigrants.
Amalia Duarte, the only Democrat on the township committee didn't accept the apology and instead denounced it as "divisive, dehumanizing rhetoric." It's personal for Duarte as her parents immigrated from the Dominican Republic.
"It's un-excusable to publish that post, whether or not it's cut and pasted ... that compares immigrants to raccoons in the basement," she said.
Blood was only on the committee to fill a vacancy left by the deputy mayor. However, just one month ago he lost a race for an open seat to a Democrat. It was the first time in recent memory a Democrat was elected to such a Republican municipality in the county, NJ.com said.
Blood's apology and said his intention "was to illustrate, however poorly, one of the reasons our President was elected."
You can read the full statement below:
