CBS has fired a network legal executive who wrote on social media that she is “not even sympathetic” to victims of Sunday’s Las Vegas shooting and referred to country music fans as “Republican gun toters.”
Hayley Geftman-Gold, who served as senior counsel for strategic transactions at CBS, posted to Facebook on Monday morning, “If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs will ever do the right thing. I’m actually not even sympathetic bc country music fans often are Republican gun toters.”
A CBS representation told TheWrap that the network condemns Geftman-Gold’s comments and that she has since been let go from the company.
“This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS,” CBS said in the statement. “Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families.”
Geftman-Gold, who appeared to have disabled her Facebook account, could not be reached for comment.
But she later issued a statement apologizing for her “indefensible” and “shameful” post.
“I am deeply sorry for diminishing the significance of every life affected by Stephen Paddock’s terrorism last night and for the pain my words have inflicted on the loved ones of the victims,” she wrote. “This senseless violence warrants the deepest sympathy.”
Statement from Hayley Geftman-Gold, the now-former CBS lawyer who made news with her comments on Facebook today: pic.twitter.com/LtCJjzmV9R
— Brian Flood (@briansflood) October 2, 2017
Police say that Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire from the 32nd floor of Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino at a crowd of 23,000 attending the Route 91 Harvest country music festival on Sunday night.
At least 58 people were killed in the sniper assault, and more than 500 others were injured.
Paddock died from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to authorities storming his hotel room.