Jeff Jackson accuses opponent of suggesting Orlando victims ‘deserved’ to die

Democratic Sen. Jeff Jackson Monday accused his Republican opponent of saying the Orlando shooting victims “deserved” to die.

But Republican Bob Diamond said Jackson was “twisting” words he posted on the internet.

Two days after the shootings in an Orlando night club in which 49 people died, Diamond posted a tweet that said, “Did They (The LGBT Victims) Deserve It?

“All men and women are #sinners and deserving of hell. ALL are equally #guilty before a Holy and Righteous God. Unless repentance of sin occurs … ALL will equally and eternally perish.”

He attached a blog from North Carolina Pastors Network President David Kistler that said essentially the same thing. Alluding to the shooter, Kistler also called Islam a “godless, anti-Christ, anti-God, anti-American ideology … that is antithetical to all that is America and American.”

“In even questioning whether these victims ‘deserve it,’ (Diamond) shows a painful lack of basic moral awareness,” Jackson said in a statement. “Mr. Diamond is seeking election to a district that includes thousands of LGBT citizens. He cannot claim to represent their interests while also suggesting that they deserve to be murdered simply for being who they are.”

Diamond said while he believes homosexuality is a sin, he was not suggesting the victims deserved to die.

“They all died for the same reason, because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, not because of their background or anything,” he said. “I was just trying to show that we’re all sinners and I’m a sinner.”

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Jeff Jackson accuses opponent of suggesting Orlando victims ‘deserved’ to die."