Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller referred Tuesday to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton as a “cu**” on Twitter, in a tweet relaying poll results.
“PENNSYLVANIA: NEW AUTO ALLIANCE POLL TRUMP 44 CU** 43 Go Trump Go!” Miller’s account, @MillerForTexas, tweeted, according to a screen shot by the San Antonio Express-News, which reported it was deleted about 10 minutes after posting.
A spokesman for Miller originally claimed the account was “hacked,” according to the San Antonio Express-News, then blamed a staffer.
Mark Loeffler, an agency spokesman, now says the tweet was an accidental “retweet,” which implies it was written by another user and shared by Miller, but the tweet is not formatted in that manner and the reference to Clinton appeared to originate with Miller’s account.
“The campaign was retweeting information on Twitter today and inadvertently retweeted a tweet that they were not aware contained a derogatory term,” Loeffler, told CNN. “The tweet was taken down as soon as possible. Commissioner Miller finds the term vulgar and offensive and apologizes to anyone who may have seen it.”
Miller is a Republican who holds a statewide electable position. His Twitter biography self describes him as “a deplorable,” referencing what Clinton’s remark that some Trump supporters were a “basket of deplorables.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott condemned Miller’s tweet in a statement.
“The language is reprehensible and is an embarrassment,” he said in a statement to CNN. “No true Texas gentleman would ever talk this way.”
And the Texas Democratic Party responding by tweeting at Miller,”.@MillerForTexas delete your account. #txlege”
Miller has a reputation for stoking controversy. Last year, he shared a meme on Facebook advocating dropping nuclear bombs on “the Muslim world,” according to Texas Monthly.