Is bullying a child a new low for Pennsylvania Republican state Rep. Russ Diamond? That’s a tough question. Still, Democrats want his Republican colleagues in the state to condemn his post on X in which he suggested that Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz should have kept his son Gus, who is neurodivergent and has a learning disability, at home if he didn’t want him to be mocked online by people like him.
“The PAHDCC calls on Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to condemn statements made by Representative Russ Diamond disparaging the minor child of an elected official and implying that disabled people should stay home,” the state Democrats said in a press release issued Friday.
Diamond’s district includes part of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Governor Tim Walz accepted the nomination for vice president by the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
“It is the greatest honor of my life to accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States,” he told a roaring, enthusiastic crowd.
And it was those words, among many others, that provoked an emotional response from many in the audience, including Walz’s son, who has neurodiversity, who was moved to tears – something Republican Trump supporters like Diamond mocked.
Well, Representative Diamond is predictably sticking to his guns. He insists that it is Governor Walz’s fault for exposing his son to people like him. He should keep him home, Diamond says, and hide him from the world.
“Everyone, regardless of ability, should have the freedom to participate in our electoral process and attend public events. Attacking a politician’s minor child is reprehensible and unbecoming of any elected official,” the PAHDCC said.
You might think this was Diamond’s first attempt at posting insensitive comments on social media, but that’s not the case.
Diamond’s behavior this week reflects a pattern he has developed over the years. For various reasons, he has appeared in every court in Pennsylvania except the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which refused to hear his case.
In 2020, then-Governor Tom Wolf called on the Republican Party to censure Diamond. According to PennLine, Governor Wolf issued a statement on the matter, with Wolf calling Diamond’s derogatory remark a “thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community,” according to CBS News Philadelphia.
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Wolf condemned Diamond’s statement, saying, “Republicans must stop spreading misinformation to the public. And they absolutely must act more responsibly and care more about the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians.”
Ultimately, the Republican-dominated legislature decided to do nothing.
Diamond wasn’t the only person to slander the candidate’s son. On a national level, Ann Coulter took a swipe at Walz’s son and faced immediate backlash. She has since deleted the post.
“The PAHDCC calls on Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to condemn statements made by Representative Russ Diamond disparaging the minor child of an elected official and implying that disabled people should stay at home,” the state Democrats said.
There is no response yet from the Pennsylvania Republican Party.
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