A Florida prosecutor apologized Thursday for social media posts that included him referring to drug addicts as "crack hoes" and suggesting that Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's appointment was due to affirmative action.
Kenneth Lewis, an assistant state attorney for Orange and Osceola County, acknowledged writing a Facebook post on May 11 that said: "Happy Mother's Day to all the crack hoes out there. It' never too late to turn it around, tie your tubes, clean up your life and make difference to someone out there that deserves a better mother."
Lewis said that he "used a poor choice of words" and apologized to anyone who took offense to his Facebook comments earlier this month.
Lewis said he thought that his posts from May 11 and May 6 were only to his friends network on the social website, and not visible to the general public. He said he doesn't believe his comments affect his ability to be an impartial prosecutor.
He also apologized for a May 6 post that accompanied a picture of Sotomayor, saying: "Reason enough why no country should ever engage in the practice of Affirmative Action again. This could be the result. Where would she be if she didn't hit the quota lottery? Here's a hint: 'Would you like to supersize that sir?'"
Both posts remain active on Lewis' Facebook page.
Lewis' boss, Ninth Circuit State Attorney Jeff Ashton, said while he thinks Lewis' choice of words was "offensive and dehumanizing," he didn't reprimand Lewis for his comments because his office did not have a social media policy banning them.
Ashton said that no victims have complained to his office that they have been unfairly treated by Lewis because of their social status.
— The Associated Press