Late last night, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley issued a brief written statement on the #CharlestonShooting, which she followed up with an emotional press conference earlier today alongside the city’s mayor and police chief.
Nikki Haley and Mayor Riley before press conference in #CharlestionShooting pic.twitter.com/JOpcNWxPnP
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) June 18, 2015
.@nikkihaley: We woke up and "the heart and soul of #SouthCarolina was broken" #Charleston http://t.co/KkJh99uD6I http://t.co/7fW092flXV
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 18, 2015
This press conference and the emotions of Chief Mullen, Mayor Riley, and Governor Haley is ripping me apart #PrayForCharleston
— Matt Snyder (@mattYOUR_print) June 18, 2015
Touched by Governor Haley's comments at today's press conference @nikkihaley #PrayingForCharleston
— Veronica Soto (@newsanchorsoto) June 18, 2015
Haley’s emotional press conference was met with an emotional response from the public — with a lot of that emotion consisting of anger and hatred toward the governor, targeting her political party, her defense of the Confederate flag, her race, her tears … everything, really.
https://twitter.com/lordxmen2k/status/611506373499744256
@OnlyTruthReign @lordxmen2k Can't belive Niki Haley is crying crocodile tears about a broken state when her party created a lot of the hate
— NS? (@NSNS66443) June 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/james_olsson/status/611613521365831680
And yes, Nikki Haley’s “tearful” press conference was phony. Not one tear, just a lot of bad acting
— Kevin Hall (@KevinHallShow) June 18, 2015
Gov. Haley cries as she speaks at #CharlestonShooting press conference. Her tears are meaningless as long as she flies the Confederate flag.
— Nina L. Diamond (@ninatypewriter) June 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/savannahleeneal/status/611569296297345024
Nikki Haley's words are so much trash until she takes that symbol of white supremacy down.
— Danielle Blake?️ (@abradacabla) June 18, 2015
Nikki Haley passing for white.
— not ☕️ (3-13) (@demitashe) June 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/crafting_change/status/611591479170072576
https://twitter.com/PeteyRawlings/status/611571730121928704
Wait… Nikki Haley is Indian? just like "Bobby" Jindel… wow, the need to feel white is epic
— Daemon Blackfyre?? (@lastcharmander) June 18, 2015
Rafael "Ted" Cruz (Sen. Texas), Piyush "Bobby" Jindal (Gov. Louisiana), Nimrata "Nikki" Haley (Gov S. Carolina).. you not white
— Daemon Blackfyre?? (@lastcharmander) June 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/fivefifths/status/611568642975772673
https://twitter.com/OJNEXTDOOR_/status/611568332807008256
Sometimes you gotta twist yourself into quite a pretzel to uphold white supremacy, amirite Gov Nikki Haley??
— Melissa Green (@ProfCritic) June 18, 2015
TheBlaze reports that even a former Obama administration official weighed in just past midnight with a tweet noting the governor’s defense of flying the Confederate flag outside the South Carolina statehouse.
In October, Gov. Nikki Haley defended flying the Confederate flag outside the South Carolina statehouse. http://t.co/1OFHhM7Ryl #Charleston
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) June 18, 2015
WTF? @BFriedmanDC How does this help? Are you accusing Nikki Haley? Absolutely classless.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) June 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/Cicada4life/status/611397043035181056
Wow:
https://twitter.com/WillZerhouni/status/611627747828436992