Diann Jones, a vice chairman of the Collin County Republican Party, has apologized for an e-mail that some local judges denounced as racist.
But she also lashed out at judges who forwarded her e-mail and condemned her.
In an e-mail Tuesday to state District Judge Robert Dry, Jones wrote, "If someone is offended by something in an e-mail, I don't think forwarding it on to 50 other people [that never originally saw it] is really prudent ... That action simply multiplies the offensive e-mail and enlarges the damage."
The war of words began a week ago when Jones sent an e-mail to local Republican clubs, rallying support against a state bill that would have imposed a $50 tax on guns. The e-mail included the statement, "Another terrific idea from the black house and its minions."
State District Judge Chris Oldner, the administrative judge, fired back at Jones.
He said he was "offended by the derogatory racial message."
"As a Republican elected official, I find this hostile race-baiting inappropriate and counterproductive," Oldner wrote to Jones. "We are fighting to win the hearts and minds of the citizens of this County, the State and this Country. This only makes that fight more difficult."
Dry then e-mailed other district and county judges, backing Oldner's comments.
"Each of you should also go on record as supporting his response," Dry wrote. "Your silence can create an ambivalent impression that leaves Chris in left field."
In her e-mail reply Tuesday to Oldner and other judges, Jones said she was "horrified" when she realized she had included the sentence in her e-mail.
