GOP spokesman slammed for 'acid' comment

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WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- A campaign spokesman for U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y., was at the center of a controversy after saying "let's hurl some acid" at female U.S. senators.

Jay Townsend was participating in an online forum on the New York congressional district Hayworth represents when, in a response to a poster using the name "Tom," he said: "Listen to Tom. What a little bee he has in his bonnet. Buzz Buzz. My question today … when is Tommy boy going to weigh in on all the Lilly Ledbetter hypocrites who claim to be fighting the War on Women? Let's hurl some acid at those female democratic senators who won't abide the mandates they want to impose on the private sector."

The comment was subsequently taken down and Hayworth's office had not responded by late Thursday to a request for a comment on Townsend's comment, ABC News reported.

In addition to working as a spokesman for Hayworth, Townsend was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010, when New York voters re-elected Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Barry Cato, a spokesman for the campaign of Rich Becker -- who is challenging Hayworth in the 1012 election -- said Townsend should be fired.

"I'd be fired -- immediately and with cause -- if I said stuff like this," Becker said in a statement posted online. "Which begs the question: why is Jay Townsend still Nan Hayworth's spokesman?

"Does she agree that we should 'hurl some acid' at politicians her campaign disagrees with? These comments are simply unprofessional and should never cross the lips of a congressional spokesman."