Trump Appointee Quits After Racist, Antigay Recordings Surface

It was less than five years ago that Carl Higbie proudly espoused racist, homophobic, and Islamophobic views on a radio station, but now that he's been forced out of a position in the Trump administration, he says those interviews don't reflect who he is.

Higbie -- who served for six months as chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which operates the AmeriCorps program -- was ousted this week after his recordings on the "Sound of Freedom" show became public, thanks to reporting on CNN.

Higbie was caught saying black people have "lax" morals, that he simply "didn't like" gay people and Muslims, falsely said President Obama was a Muslim from Kenya, advocated for shooting undocumented immigrants, and joked about bashing together the heads of Senator Dianne Feinstein and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

These are his words on gays, recorded in 2013 on Sound of Freedom:

"Rhode Island, land of more liberals, has just OK'ed, gay marriage," Higbie said in the recording. "Congratuf'in'lations, you suck, Rhode Island. Why would you do that? Go ahead and twist the knife a little, little bit more. I mean, you are breaking the morals, the moral fiber of our country. You know, I don't like gay people. I just don't."

"I was molested by a gay guy when I was a young kid and that kind of set the precedence for me," he later added. "So I, I just, I really don't care for them. You know what, you want to be gay? Fine. Do it over in your own corner," he said. "If I was president of the United States, I wouldn't make laws saying you can't be gay because I believe that's your right. So go over there, be gay, don't march down in the middle of the street and your drag outfit being fairies and things like that. Don't throw it in my face. Don't make me like it because I don't -- do it on your own. Do it over there and let it be your thing."

Unsurprisingly, Higbie says these hideous recordings don't reflect who he really is.

It's also not shocking to know Higbie is a huge Trump supporter. The 34-year-old former Navy SEAL is also a failed Congressional candidate, running unsuccessfully in Connecticut four years ago.