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Texas ag chief says worker fired for offensive Clinton tweet

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says he fired a campaign worker who posted an obscene reference to Hillary Clinton on Miller's official Twitter account.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller delivers his first State of Agriculture address in Austin on July 8, 2015.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says he fired a campaign worker who posted an obscene reference to Hillary Clinton on Miller's official Twitter account.

The Austin American-Statesman obtained a letter Miller sent to Department of Agriculture employees apologizing for the furor the tweet caused.

Miller campaign spokesman Todd Smith says the fired employee worked for a "third-party vendor" hired to do social media.

Rather than use Clinton's name, the tweet used a sexually explicit, derogatory term for women. Posted a week before Election Day, it was quickly deleted.

Commssioner Sid Miller speaks during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Travis County Exposition Center on August 23, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo credit: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)

Miller's campaign initially said his account was hacked, but later said it mistakenly retweeted a tweet that "contained a derogatory term."

Miller has caused social media stirs before. Last year, he appeared to endorse a nuclear bombing of "the Muslim world.”

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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