Zimena Barreto was appointed deputy director of communications at the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2017
A Trump administration official has been placed on leave after investigations into her social media use unearthed a series of alarming posts.
Department of Health and Human Services political appointee Ximena Barreto shared an image that claimed ‘our forefathers would have hung’ former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for treason in May 2017, a CNN KFile review found.
Barreto was put on leave on Monday months after joining the department in December 2017 as deputy director of communications.
A Media Matters investigation discovered that, just months before being appointed, the far-right pundit called Islam ‘a cult’ in and said Obama was a ‘Muslim terrorist’ and a ‘pansy and a traitor’.
Barreto allegedly used her Twitter account, ‘RepublicanChick’ to criticize an Amazon ad that shows a Christian priest and a Muslim imam, saying ‘an Imam would never sit with a priest FYI’.
The Colombian-born pundit was put on leave on Monday after media investigations of her social media uncovered alarming posts
The Colombian-born pundit used the hashtag #BanIslam at least five times and also wrote #DeportSarsour about Women’s March organizer Linda Sarsour.
During livestreams posted to her social media pages, Barreto said ‘African-Americans are way more racist than white people’ and ‘she feels bad for white people’.
She said: ‘I’ve been attacked by more African-Americans on Twitter than white people, in all honesty. … They’re the most racist people I ever met.’
Barreto also used her social media accounts to promote the false ‘Pizzagate’ conspiracy, which alleges political figures such as Clinton were involved in trafficking children from a Washington D.C. pizza shop.
The PizzaGate conspiracy theory falsely claims politicians such as Hillary Clinton are involved in trafficking children through a Washington D.C. pizza restaurant
‘It’s a hoax so we get distracted from #PizzaGate you are going to find fraud from the DNC,’ she wrote on a Tweet about a recount of the 2016 presidential election.
Before joining DHH Barreto also hosted a YouTube Show titled ‘The Right View by Deplorable Latinas’.
In October 2016 she also pushed the conspiracy theory that murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was killed by Clinton or the DNC. She used the hashtags #KilledByTheDNC #HillaryBodyCount #ClintonBodyBag.
Other bogus claims by Barreto included that Clinton and Obama are controlled by billionaire George Soros and that the Rothschild family has control over French President Emmanuel Macron.
She also falsely claimed the family of Clinton aide Huma Abedin has ties to terrorism.
On her Twitter Barreto also claimed Islam is a ‘cult’ and former president Barack Obama is a ‘Muslim terrorist’
On her now-deleted website, a Barreto biography read: ‘Growing up in Colombia during the drug wars, which deeply impacted her life at a young age, Ximena witnessed blatant corruption and extreme violence, lost family members, and came to understand the importance of law and order.
‘After moving legally to the United States, Ximena began comparing the social issues between Colombia and the USA, which played a big role in her engagement in political activities as an American.’
An HHS spokesperson told Media Matters ‘has no comments on any statements she may have made before joining HHS’.
‘Mrs. Barreto-Rice provides specialty media support including: Spanish media, outreach, and other general press related responsibilities. … In addition to her seven years of media experience, Mrs. Barreto-Rice brings a unique background to the position.’