New York State Senator Kevin Parker Tweets ‘Kill Yourself’ to GOP Staffer

A New York state senator told a senior Senate staffer to kill herself on Twitter Tuesday, according to a tweet from Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay. The drama began earlier in the day, when a New York City resident tweeted about a car blocking a bike lane between 43rd and 44th Street in Manhattan. The photo of the car showed that it had an “official business” placard from a state senator. Candace Giove, the deputy communications director for New York State’s Senate Majority, responded to the tweet: “It (sic) got to the bottom of this,” she wrote. “The placard is assigned to @SenatorParker. However, the license plate # on the placard does not match the vehicle. So he either used it in another car or gave it to someone to use, both of which are not permitted.” Parker responded to Giove’s tweet by writing, “Kill yourself!” After Giove called out the tweet, he quickly deleted it and replied: “I sincerely apologize. I used a poor choice of words. Suicide is a serious thing and should not be made light of.” Soon after, however, he (unironically) tweeted that “@Candacegiove is on the wrong side of history for every important issue facing New York State!”