Admits 'very poor judgment' but tries to excuse his disgraceful conduct

A US judge has apologized for forwarding an email to friends that contained a joke involving bestiality and President Barack Obama’s mother, but he said the incident was related to his dislike of the president, not from racism.

Judge Richard Cebull forwarded the email from his chambers in Montana to six people on Feb. 20, The Great Falls Tribune newspaper reported.

Cebull told the newspaper that his brother sent him the email, which he forwarded to “old buddies” and acquaintances.

He prefaced the email with the message: “Normally I don’t send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching”. 

The judge apologized and acknowledged that the content of the email was racist but said he does not consider himself racist, the newspaper reported. He told the Billings Gazette that he did not write the preface to the message.

“The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan,” Cebull told the newspaper.

“I didn’t send it as racist, although that’s what it is. I sent it out because it’s anti-Obama.” 

Cebull did not return calls from The Associated Press.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said during a press briefing Thursday that he did not know whether Obama was aware of the email. Carney declined further comment.

A recipient of the email forwarded it to another person, who then forwarded it until it eventually reached the inbox of a Great Falls Tribune reporter.

Cebull said he was surprised the people he sent the email to would pass it along with his name still on it.

“This is a private thing that was, to say the least, very poor judgment on my part,” Cebull said.