'Horrified' Nebraska GOP governor apologizes after learning he hired a neo-Nazi campaign staffer

Republican Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday formally apologized after it was revealed that he'd hired a neo-Nazi to work as a campaign staffer, reports local news station 1011 NOW.

Ricketts insisted that he had no idea that former campaign staffer Bennett Bressman regularly posted racist and anti-Semitic comments online, while also encouraging his fellow white nationalists to infiltrate the Republican Party.

"I am shocked and horrified to learn that this former staffer made these statements and I had no idea he harbored these feelings. He never expressed these views to me," he said. "I condemn these statements and this hateful worldview, which do not reflect my beliefs or the beliefs of Nebraskans."

In chat logs featuring Bressman that were published by Anti-Fascist Action Nebraska, Bressman admitted to liking right-wing talk show host Michael Savage "even though he's a Jew," while also employing the white nationalist triple-parentheses "echoes" trope to identify Jews.

He also ranted that "globalists are Jews" and referenced the infamous "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," a notorious anti-Semitic tract created to defame Jews.

In other chats, Bressman endorsed political violence and boasted about driving his car into a Black Lives Matter supporter.

Bressman had worked as Ricketts' field director for his successful 2018 gubernatorial campaign, although he has not worked for the governor since December.