Tea Party’s Marilyn Davenport Apologizes for Obama Chimp Email

But she's still blaming the liberal left for picking up the story in the first place.

By Asraa Mustufa Apr 21, 2011

The Southern California GOP member who [sent out a racist email last weekend](https://colorlines.com/archives/2011/04/gop_member_sends_email_depicting_obama_family_as_apes.html), depicting President Obama as the child of chimpanzees, has issued an official apology, but does not plan to resign from her position. In yet another attempt to discredit the President’s legitimacy to hold office, tea party activist Marilyn Davenport sent out the image to fellow party members on Friday, with the words, "Now you know why — No birth certificate!" Davenport has come under fire since sending the email. The California NAACP demanded an apology and some California Republican leaders called on her to voluntarily resign. Davenport sent out an apology email to her colleagues on Monday, blaming the liberal left for picking up the story, and calling on the "coward" who leaked the story to come forward. She did not appear at an Orange County Republican Central Committee meeting Monday night, but did issue a statement. "I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness of my unwise behavior," the statement said. "I say unwise because at the time I received and forwarded the email, I didn’t stop to think about the historic implications and other examples of how this could be offensive." Some fellow party members are still calling for Davenport’s resignation. "The damage to the Republican Party has been by her, and I still think she should resign," former chairman of the California Republican Party Michael Schroder said, [according to The Root](http://www.theroot.com/views/chimp-e-mailer-apologizes-keeps-gop-post?page=0,0). Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh also wants Davenport to resign. "The email is without question extremely racist. Depicting African-Americans as monkey is a longtime, well-known and particularly offensive slur because it denies them their basic humanity," he said, [reported the AP.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/19/marilyn-davenport-califor_n_850992.html) But Republicans say that party laws prevent them from voting her out. She can only be removed by a recall before she is next up for election in 2012. The central committee members serve two-year terms and are tasked with fundraising, campaigning, and debating policy for the party. The body’s ethics committee is investigating the incident and will make a report within a week. "Our hands are tied by the state’s election codes," Baugh told The Root. "There are only three grounds for removal, but being a racist is not one of them."