Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman apologizes for Hitler-quoting Facebook post
After days of withering criticism — including from the Broward congressional delegation — Clerk of Courts Brenda Forman has apologized for posting on social media a quotation she believed came from Adolf Hitler.
Forman posted her apology in the same way she posted the original passage: at night, on Facebook.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community,” the apology said, adding that she “deeply regret[s] the pain that it has caused to members of your community. It was never my intention to hurt or offend anyone.”
The quotation, which was attributed to Hitler’s manifesto Mein Kampf, actually didn’t come from him. And the picture supposedly of Hitler accompanying the post was actually a doctored image of a former British prime minister.
At first, her post on Monday night didn’t garner much attention. But on Tuesday night, word spread, and community leaders started posting questions and criticisms on her Facebook page and elsewhere on social media.
Late Tuesday night, after the first wave of criticism, she first defended the post, then deleted it.
She didn’t respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Later that day, the four members of Congress from Broward County, two of whom are Jewish, demanded that Forman apologize to the entire community.
Finally, on Thursday night, she posted a statement on her Facebook page.
“In retrospect, there were better ways I could have expressed my thoughts on how important it is for our society to work together to ensure that no one is deprived of their rights. As a woman of color and an elected official, I have worked hard to use my platform to advocate for a variety of community causes. Most of my efforts have met with success.”
Forman added that she took “full responsibility,” that a “valuable lesson has been learned” and said people could “rest assured that nothing similar will occur again.” She described her apology as “sincere and heartfelt.”
The apology had a somewhat unusual format. It was a photograph of a written statement.
The original Monday night post was also a photograph, of a supposed quotation attributed to Hitler explaining that the best way to take control from people is to do so a little at a time, so the erosion is imperceptible, and people won’t realize what’s going on until it is too late. The passage has been shared widely in the past, and Reuters and Politifact concluded it wasn’t from Mein Kampf, and didn’t reflect Hitler’s views.
On Tuesday, state Rep. Michael Gottlieb said Forman posting a quote attributed to Hitler showed “a complete lack of respect for the atrocities of the Holocaust” and demonstrated that “she is not fit for public office.”
U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wassserman Schultz, Ted Deutch and Frederica Wilson — all Democrats, as is Forman — said Wednesday that it is “repulsive that she would amplify the supposed ‘wisdom’ from the world’s most heinous mass murderer, anti-Semite, and white supremacist.”
Forman has two opponents in the Aug. 18 election, retired judges Paul Backman and Mark Speiser, both of whom are Jewish.
The election is Aug. 18. All three candidates filed to run in the Democratic primary, but because no Republican or no party affiliation candidates came forward to run for the job, the primary is open to all voters regardless of party, and the winner will get a four-year term as court clerk.
Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics
Brenda Forman ","additional_properties":{"comments":1/83/8,"inline_comments":1/83/83/4,"_id":"MMGHLDSOJVBAZPU27ROBOA73VI
Married the previous clerk of courts, Howard Forman, a widower and decades-long elected official.
Won the 2016 election and succeeded him, thanks largely to his last name.
Tried to have Howard Forman declared mentally incompetent, and they were divorced. (He said he was going to run against her this year, but ultimately opted not to make the race.)
Sought restraining order against a lawyer and online critic for trying to take her picture in a courthouse hallway.
Posted posted a 40-minute video on Facebook last week in which she discussed her campaign, perceptions of her, battle with COVID-19 and conversations with God. “God literally gave me names of judges, attorneys, laymen. These are people in the community who [are] doing unrightful and ungodly things.” She also said she has been treated unfairly as “the most hated woman of color in Broward County.”
Agreed to resolve a state ethics investigation by admitting she misstated her financial status for four straight years, starting as a candidate for clerk, and agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.
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