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Lottery Chairman Resigns After Tweet About East St. Louis

(WBBM Newsradio) -- A tweet by the chairman of the Illinois Lottery Control Board has led to his resignation.

It was two weeks ago when Blair Garber tweeted about East Saint Louis, Illinois, calling it the "(expletive)-hole of the universe."

The Evanston man confirmed the tweet and tells WBBM: "It was an unfortunate choice of words, and I'm sorry for any consternation it caused."

Garber says he's stepped down from the Lottery Control Board and has also resigned from the Illinois Republican State Central Committee.

Garber was tweeting to country music star Charlie Daniels, after Daniels had ridiculed U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. Garber noted in the tweet that Durbin hails from East St. Louis, "the (expletive)-hole of the universe."

Recently, President Trump came under criticism for reportedly using the profane expression to describe Haiti and African nations, while discussing immigration with federal lawmakers. Critics say the president's remarks had racial overtones.

 

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