A newly promoted Biden administration official is facing backlash over resurfaced social media posts that compared police to “slave patrols” and expressed support for the anti-Israel movement.
Tyler Cherry, recently appointed to the White House communications team after three years under Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, is under scrutiny for his past tweets.
In 2015, amid the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death in police custody, Cherry tweeted, “Praying for #Baltimore, but praying even harder for an end to a capitalistic police state motivated by explicit and implicit racial biases.”
Later that year, he posted on X, “Time to recall that the modern-day police system is a direct evolution of slave patrols and Lynch mobs.”
Cherry’s 2014 tweets also drew attention for their pro-Palestine stance, including one where he wrote, “Cheersing in bars to ending the occupation of Palestine, no shame and f— your glares #ISupportGaza #FreePalestine.”
Additional posts from Cherry criticized Republicans for focusing on “white grievance politics” and called for the abolition of ICE.
In response to the controversy, Cherry addressed his past social media activity on X, stating, “Past social media posts from when I was younger do not reflect my current views. Period.”
He added, “I support this Administration’s agenda and will continue my communications work focused on our climate and environmental policies.”
The White House defended Cherry’s hiring, with senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates telling Fox News, “We’re very proud to have Tyler on the team.”
