A Hogan administration official who published a torrent of controversial Facebook posts in support of the 17-year-old Kenosha, Wis. shooter was terminated Saturday afternoon from his state government job.
Arthur “Mac” Love IV was serving as the deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives.
He published a series of controversial and offensive memes, updates, and photographs to his personal Facebook page over the last several days, critical of the escalating racial unrest in Kenosha, Wis.
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Love’s Facebook Postings on Kenosha Unrest
Love posted Facebook memes in support of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old boy who allegedly opened fire on a crowd of protestors who were protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Blake is the 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey on Aug. 23.
CBS News reported that “Two Kenosha police officers fired tasers in a bid to stop Jacob Blake before one of the officers shot him seven times in the back with a gun, the Wisconsin Department of” Justice said on Friday. The taser deployments “were not successful in stopping Mr. Blake,” according to a press release.”
Blake was shot as he opened the door of his SUV, in which three of his children were seated.
Agents later recovered a knife from the floor on the driver’s side of the vehicle, the department said. Authorities did not say Blake threatened anyone with a knife, CBS reported.
Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down. He’s recovering at a local hospital; until recently, Blake was handcuffed to his hospital bed.
The officers involved with Blake’s stop and subsequent shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Rittenhouse is said to have bowered a semi-automatic rifle from a friend and traveled across state lines to Wisconsin to patrol the streets of Kenosha.
He said he was doing his “job” by patrolling the neighboring state’s streets, according to several reports.
On Aug. 25, Rittenhouse allegedly opened fire on protestors, killing two and severely injuring another.
Rittenhouse was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 26 at his mother’s home in Antioch, Ill. and charged with one count of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of first-degree reckless homicide.
Love’s Facebook Posts Went Viral
Maryland progressive activist Michael Feldman, a 2020 Democratic congressional candidate, notified A Miner Detail Friday night about Love’s social media posts.
A Miner Detail’s Facebook and Twitter accounts published Love’s social media postings Friday night.
Some state lawmakers took notice and called on Love to resign from his state job – or be fired.
@GovLarryHogan, do not allow this individual to resign. He must be fired immediately! https://t.co/kX2z9Jk4ly
— Delegate Julian Ivey (@JulianiveyPG) August 29, 2020
This guy’s office oversees the Commission on African-American History and Culture. It goes without saying he is not fit to be a public servant in any capacity.
The Hogan administration is starting to look like a jobs program for fascists and grifters. https://t.co/pPcLorof5F
— Vaughn Stewart (@DelegateStewart) August 29, 2020
Love Fired Saturday
Maryland Matters first reported Saturday that “shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, Steven J. McAdams, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, issued a statement saying Love had been “relieved…of his duties.'”
“These divisive images and statements are inconsistent with the mission and core values of the Office of Community Initiatives,” McAdams said. “Earlier today, I relieved this employee of his duties. Kevin Craft, administrative director of the Governor’s Commission on African Affairs, will assume these duties effective immediately.”
Moments later, Shareese DeLeaver-Churchill, a spokeswoman for Hogan, released a statement supporting Love’s firing.
“These posts are obviously totally inappropriate,” she said. “We fully support the immediate actions taken by Director McAdams to address this matter.”
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D) even weighed in Saturday on Love’s firing.
Jones’ comment was published to A Miner Detail’s Facebook page.
Love’s views on LGBTQ Community
Love, a longtime Maryland Republican operative and vocal supporter of President Donald J. Trump, recently published Facebook posts equating the LGBTQ community to “pedophilia.”
He also referenced a WTOP article that reported a federal appeals court recently ruled ‘that a Virginia school board’s transgender bathroom ban is unconstitutional and discriminated against a transgender male student barred from using the boys’ bathrooms in his high school.”
Love called the decision “sick.”
Love’s LinkedIn profile shows that he began his Hogan administration gig in January 2015.
He has also worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and for then-Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R).
Love, 44, apparently did a brief stint at the Republican National Committee and he worked as a field operative for a few political consulting agencies.
Former Maryland U.S. Senate and House candidate Dan Bongino hired Love briefly in 2011 to work on his longshot Republican bid for the U.S. Senate.
He departed Bongino’s Senate campaign in the fall of 2011.
Love was later hired in 2013 as a field and advance staffer for then-Harford County Executive David R. Craig’s Republican gubernatorial primary bid.
He left Craig’s campaign only after a few months.
Larry Hogan’s 2014 Republican gubernatorial campaign hired Love to assist with its field operations for the general election. Hogan scored an upset victory over former Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) in the 2014 Nov. general election.
A Miner Detail left a voicemail for Love on his cellphone Saturday morning. Love has not responded.
Love Deletes Facebook Response After Termination
Love indirectly addressed his Saturday-afternoon termination in a series of Facebook posts which he later deleted.
“Right now people are trying to tell people at my work I’m a racist homophobic asshole,” Love posted Saturday, shortly at 2:30 p.m.
“I admit I’m an ass-whole (sic) but I am not racist and I’m not homophobic and you can say anything else about me but those two things actually hurt.”
Love followed up with another post shortly before 3:00 p.m., seemingly blaming partisan politics for his firing.
“Screw the left,” Love wrote.
“The massive identity politics establishment often accuses those who do not conform to their views as biased or racist. The irony is that this establishment never looks inward at its ugly biases and racism.”
Love linked to a Wall Street Journal article on former U.N. Ambassador Nikki R. Haley (R).
“The Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives’ mission is to serve as a coordinating office for the governor that connects Marylanders to economic, volunteer, and human service opportunities through government, business, and nonprofit partners. To address that core mission, the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives outreach efforts encompass the state’s geographic areas, ethnic groups, and faith communities,” according to its website.
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