Texas prosecutor resigns after Facebook post appearing to compare protesters to Nazis

A Texas prosecutor has resigned and will be replaced by another prosecutor after reportedly sharing a post on Facebook that compares protesters demonstrating against police brutality and racial inequality to Nazis, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office told ABC13 on Monday.

Kaylynn Williford, who works for District Attorney Kim Ogg, shared a Facebook post comparing protesters to Nazis, according to a screenshot shared on Facebook. The district attorney’s office confirmed the post was Williford’s, according to ABC13. 

“Wedding bands that were removed from Holocaust victims prior to being executed, 1945. Each ring represents a destroyed family. Never forget, Nazis tore down statues. Banned free speech. Blamed economic hardships on one group of people. Institute gun control. Sound familiar?” the post read. 

Williford is the trial bureau chief in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. She has served in the position since 1992, according to the office’s website. 

“When speech made in the privacy of one’s home or on social media contradicts our core values, we take action,” Ogg reportedly said in a letter to her office. “While not our intent to involve ourselves in employees’ personal lives, when their social media or private actions publicly contradict and violate this Office’s policies, the law allows us as an employer to investigate and implement graduated sanctions ranging from education and counseling up to termination.”

She said the office’s human resources division will provide further training and guidance on implicit bias and workplace standards, policies and practices and encouraged employees to contact human resources to “express concerns” they may have about “this issue.” 

“I want you to know unequivocally that my goal is to foster a workplace environment that not only reflects the diverse make-up of Harris County, but also, that encourages respect for one another, tolerance for the differences amongst us, and rejects divisiveness, bigotry, and racism in all forms,” Ogg said. 

The Hill has reached out to Ogg’s office for further comment. 

Nationwide protests have been held across the country this month over racial inequality and police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. As part of the protests, activists have been calling for the removal of statues commemorating Confederate figures and white supremacists as well as police and justice system reforms.