Lynne Patton, a former event planner for Eric Trump, was appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee all federal housing in New York and New Jersey. As head of Region II of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Patton manages billions of taxpayer dollars. She had no prior relevant experience before being appointed to the job, which pays $161,900 per year.

Patton said her experience as “gatekeeper to one of the most powerful families in the world” qualified her for the position.

Now, Patton is spending her time lobbing ugly insults at journalists on Twitter.

The incident started when someone posted a quote from an appearance by April Ryan, White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Network, on CNN. Ryan said that, after Trump’s attacks on the media, she and other reporters had received death threats. Patton responded dismissively that she frequently received death threats as a black woman who supported Donald Trump.


As a conservative black female who has publicly worked for & supported @realDonaldTrump, I’ve been getting death threats from fellow minorities on the left for the past 3 years – so welcome to the club, @AprilDRyan. pic.twitter.com/0EeG9pBesy — 🇺🇸 Lynne Patton (@LynnePatton) January 21, 2018

Patton went on to say that people who instinctively defend Ryan, rather than members of the Trump administration, are the problem. Ryan apparently noticed the discussion and called Patton a “fool.”

This went back and forth for awhile.

Kick rocks little girl. Find a job! @LynnePatton I ain’t the one! Girl bye. Blogger girl I do news. What do you do? Do you work at HUD or play at it you washed up wedding planner. Girl bye! https://t.co/YtfF4QHzy5 — AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) January 25, 2018

That’s when Patton unleashed a more personal attack.

After posting the tweet, Patton had second thoughts. About 30 minutes later she deleted it and posted an apology.

“I deleted my last tweet by choice. No one from this Administration contacted me. It was beneath me & I apologize to @AprilDRyan. My parents raised me to respect others & I regret my response. I apologize to them, @SecretaryCarson & the Trump family. They deserved better,” Patton wrote.

She included a photo of herself, speaking at the Republican National Convention.