Candidate drops out after allegations Facebook account called for journalist's rape

WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. (WTXF/AP) - A New Jersey republican running for a seat on the West Deptford Township committee is dropping out of the race amid reports he harassed a reporter via social media. Michael Krawitz submitted this letter of resignation today.

A reporter for the Daily Beast says Krawitz sent her harassing messages on Facebook.

He told The Philadelphia Inquirer he was hacked and didn't make the comment Monday on journalist Olivia Nuzzi's Facebook account.

But Nuzzi says she has been harassed on social media by Krawitz since December 2015.

The West Deptford GOP condemned the comments and mistakenly called for Twitter to investigate, even though the posts were made on Facebook.

The comments said: "I. Hope. Somebody. Rapes. You. Today. :)." They came after Nuzzi promoted an article about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples.

West Deptford Republican Committee Chairman Bob Waller and two GOP Committeemen made these statements, calling on Krawitz to drop out of the race:

"Yesterday, the West Deptford Republican Party was contacted regarding Facebook comments made against a reporter from the Daily Beast by Mike Krawitz, one of our candidates for Township Committee, who won his candidacy through a write in vote in the Primary last June. As we began to investigate the matter we were led to believe that Mr. Krawitz's Facebook account was hacked and that these hateful comments were not made by him. However, through the day our leadership reviewed all the facts surrounding this matter and we cannot find any reasonable reason to believe Mr. Krawitz's account was hacked in anyway. Through our investigation we have learned, that this is not the first time Mr. Krawitz has had an inappropriate confrontation via Facebook with this reporter and that he has a history going back to December of 2015 of making comments to posts made by her. For a candidate to use such despicable language toward an individual, let alone a female, is completely unacceptable of anyone representing our Party. But what is worse, is to call for violence against a female, as Mr. Krawitz did in a post yesterday and we as a party cannot condone such repulsive, threatening or demeaning rhetoric of this kind being made by any person regardless of party. It is because of this behavior that the West Deptford Republican Party is calling on Mike Krawitz to resign as our party's candidate for Township Committee and if he does not resign we will do whatever it takes to have him removed from the ballot," stated Chairman Waller.

"When we decided to not seek re-election this year, we were saddened to see no one step up from the Party to run in the Primary to succeed us on the Township Committee. But after Mike won a surprising write in Campaign to become the Republican Candidate, we were hopeful for his success to continue GOP representation on this board. However, after witnessing such unacceptable behavior, we must call for him to step down as a Candidate for Township Committee," said Committeemen Hansen and Maher.