An S.C. Republican 'liked' a website on Facebook titled 'When Should You Shoot a Cop.' S.C. GOPer refuses to step down

A South Carolina Republican official is resisting calls to step down after causing a stir when he “liked” an article on Facebook that discussed violence against law enforcement — a position that seemed to take anti-government rhetoric too far for South Carolina’s tea-party-heavy GOP.

Jeff Mattox, a Kershaw County Republican co-chairman, gave his seal of digital approval to a piece posted on Facebook from the website copblock.org titled “When Should You Shoot a Cop.”


“That’s what it means to have an unalienable right. If you have the unalienable right to speak your mind (a la the First Amendment), then you have the right to KILL ‘government’ agents who try to shut you up. If you have the unalienable right to be armed, then you have the right to KILL ‘government’ agents who try to disarm you,” argued the copblock.org writer.

The state Republican Party quickly distanced itself from Mattox, and local party officials asked him to resign as co-chairman.

“Public servants deserve our utmost respect, and approval of such despicable acts against them in no way reflects the South Carolina Republican Party’s platform and core principles. SCGOP Chairman Chad Connelly has called on these party officialds to resign immediately. Their actions are unacceptable,” Executive Director Matt Moore wrote in an email to POLITICO.

Mattox rebuffed calls to step aside.

“I don’t endorse shooting a cop or anything like that,” Mattox told POLITICO. “But I did think it was an interesting read.”

“I’m being assailed for something that I did not post — and because it was a controversial topic,” he said. “Where is free speech in this country?”

Corey Norris, another local GOP official in Lexington County, also posted and praised the piece on his wall — drawing the ire of the state party but maintaining support within his own county Republican Party.

“I adhere to a principle of nonaggression. I actually support local law enforcement. That’s a completely mischaracterization of the point,” Norris told POLITICO.