Jamie Comer is a bully and showed it with his vulgar message to former House clerk | Joseph Gerth

U.S. Rep. Jamie Comer, who lost the 2015 GOP primary for governor by just 83 votes after a former girlfriend said he had hit her when they dated in college, is a bully.

Want proof?

In October — as rumors were swirling and just before a legislative staffer complained that she had been sexually harassed by Comer’s good buddy, House Speaker Jeff Hoover — a bizarre, vulgar, threatening, grammatically incorrect Twitter message was sent, targeting the chief clerk of the state House of Representatives.

“Hey Brad, when the House finally fires your dumbass, (which will be very soon) for being a lazy dumb sh--, David Williams can help you find a job cleaning sh-- stains off the commodes in the Corner Pool Room in Burkesville. But I’m sure you won’t last long there because everyone hates you and you are dumb and lazy.”

I hope he was drunk when he sat down at a computer on Oct. 11, 2017, and wrote that.

Sure would hate to think anyone, much less a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, would pen those words while they were sober.

The message was obviously aimed at Brad Metcalf, the clerk of the state House, who some in Frankfort view as sympathetic to the woman who was about to send a letter to Hoover seeking a settlement. Metcalf eventually was fired on New Year’s Day.

More on this: Jeff Hoover is untouchable. That's what clerk's firing tells state workers

I asked Comer, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District, to comment through his spokesman, Michael Gossum. Gossum hasn’t responded yet.

That’s not surprising. The only time Comer has spoken to me since I wrote on the eve of the 2015 gubernatorial primary about the allegations that he struck his former girlfriend was when he dressed me down outside the paddock at Churchill Downs last Derby Day.

You have to wonder what would cause a United States congressman to fire off a message like that.

It was sent as a direct message to a Twitter account that goes by the name @kyblindside. The account posted a screenshot of the message that day.

Courier Journal was able to establish that the message came from Comer’s verified account when the operator of the @kyblindside account provided us the password for the @kyblindside account on Jan. 3. We were then able to view the original message and were able to click through to Comer’s verified account.

The operator of the @kyblindside account hasn’t revealed their identity to us.

I asked U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan to respond to Comer’s outburst. Haven’t heard back from him either.

Reading that message, three words come to mind.

Petty. Abusive. Vulgar.

There aren’t any words that better describe a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who would send a message like that attacking a government employee in his home state.

The latest: Jeff Hoover could be subpoenaed by House panel weighing his expulsion, lawmakers say

Both Hoover and his chief of staff, Ginger Wills, who served as Comer's chief of staff when he was state agriculture commissioner, said in emails they have no clue how Comer would have known Metcalf's job was in jeopardy.

"I never had any discussion at any time with Congressman Comer about Mr. Metcalf’s employment," Hoover said. "Further, I had absolutely no involvement in his (Metcalf's) termination. I first learned he was being terminated and the reasons when I arrived in Frankfort this past Monday, New Year’s Day, for some meetings."

Metcalf was told he was fired after an internal investigation into sexual harassment by House members turned up a 14-year-old conviction on a misdemeanor charge. He told the Kentucky Standard newspaper he believes the real reason was that he testified about Hoover before the Legislative Branch Ethics Commission.

Said Wills, "I take confidentiality very seriously and have never, and would never, discuss personnel matters with anyone other than my employer. I do not know why Congressman Comer would have made that statement."

More from Gerth: Jeff Hoover, other legislators have turned state Capitol into sleazy pickup joint

Comer's message to Metcalf may have all been Trumpian bluster, or he may have known what was afoot and was working to silence Metcalf. Comer served in the Kentucky House for a dozen years and still has friends there.

Whatever the case, Comer needs to explain why he sent that message and what he was trying to accomplish with it.

Don't be surprised if he doesn't.

Bullies almost always try to slink away when someone calls them out.

Joseph Gerth's column runs on most Sundays and at various times throughout the week. He can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courier-journal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/josephg.