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Louisiana utility regulators sanctioned one of their colleagues Wednesday after he called Gov. Jeff Landry an “a–hole” on social media, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
In a 3-2 vote along party lines, the Louisiana Public Service Commission removed Commissioner Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, as vice chair of the panel and installed Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, R-Metairie, in his place.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Lewis accused Republicans on the commission of creating double standards for free speech and decorum.
“If we’re gonna talk about behavior, we’re gonna be fair in here today,” Lewis said. “Because I’m not gonna sit here and hold myself to a standard that you won’t hold anybody else to, you won’t hold yourself to, you won’t hold the president to, you won’t hold the governor to. … It seems that if you’re young, if you’re Black, if you’re outspoken, you’ve got to do whatever the white man tells you to do.”
The commission’s vote came after a crowd of Lewis’ supporters took turns speaking in his defense, calling the sanction an erosion of free speech. Others pointed to the demographics of the commission as a factor, even shouting “racist” as the votes were tallied against Lewis, a 32-year-old gay Black man and the only person of color on the five-member panel.
The incident occurred last week after the governor created a social media post with a side-by-side photo comparison between new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Rachel Levine, a former assistant secretary under Kennedy’s predecessor. Levine is the first openly transgender person to hold a federal government position that requires Senate confirmation.
Voicing his support for Kennedy, Landry wrote: “Major upgrade in the @HHSgov Secretary department.”
In response, Lewis placed his own statement atop Landry’s post, calling the governor an “a–hole.”
