You kiss your mother with that mouth?

That’s the first thing I thought when I learned of the comments suspended District 3 Commissioner Stephanie Lindsey was making about The Covington News in her social media feed last week. 

On her “Lindsey for District 3” Facebook page, which she posts regularly on since her suspension from office approximately three weeks ago, Lindsey accused The News of withholding information from the public regarding her ongoing federal case and subsequent suspension from county office by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Then in the next breath, she makes sure the public knows it doesn’t matter if the newspaper wants to tell her side of the story or not, she’s not talking to the paper, and boy she really, really means it, too.

 “The constant question when individuals review the information and other documents disseminating through the community is why hasn’t the newspaper reported this and other information to the public,” Lindsey said her post. “My reply is always that The Covington News will never print truths that don’t fit the narrative they want to present.

“This is why when the Covington News ask [sic] me for a comment, my staple response is “Go f--- yourself!”

So, yeah. A couple of things here.

What a bizarre, completely inappropriate way for an elected official, even one that is under federal indictment and suspended from office, to behave. Perhaps Lindsey, who was unopposed in the general election after winning the Democratic primary in a runoff, is taking her cues from national Democrats in Congress, who also think it is very cute and clever to drop the F-bomb whenever they disagree with something President Trump or Elon Musk have done or are doing.

In her post, Lindsey defended her use of explicit language, indicating her “no cussing in public mode” was off while she is suspended from office.   

Hmmmm. Does that seem like a good idea to anyone?

Based on the many, many comments on our Facebook page about this story, I’m going to say the vast majority of the good people of Newton County don’t think so. In fact, most of them seem to have a mixture of embarrassment of/for Lindsey and at the same time sincere concern about her behavior.

I’m going to give everyone even something more concerning to worry/think about.

As outlandish as all this already sounds, what makes it even more outlandish is that — now, stay with me here — is that none of what Lindsey claims is true or accurate.

In any way.

The newspaper has never withheld information from the public that would clear her name. Why would we? That would make for a better, more complete story. Which is the point of reaching out for comment in the first place.

More importantly, Lindsey has never responded to a request for comment from the paper by telling us to go f—- ourselves. She just hasn’t responded, which is her perogative, and that is reflected in our reporting.

Why would an elected official, even one under federal indictment and suspended from office, admit/brag about any of this in social media even if it were true? More importantly, why would an elected official, even one under federal indictment and suspended from office, just make it up and then blast it on social media if it weren’t?

Again, bizarre stuff.

With every twist and turn of this case, since the federal indictment on money laundering charges in June of last year to the suspension from her elected office three weeks ago, The Covington News has consistently offered Lindsey and co-defendant suspended county Chairman Marcello Banes the opportunity to tell their sides of this story.

Lindsey has never availed herself of the opportunity, instead forcing the paper to use comments and information from her social media or from reports in other news outlets. We can’t withhold information we don’t have, and she hasn’t provided any.

And as for telling us to go f—- ourselves, I can’t find a single instance of that happening. There’s no phone call, email, text message, voice message, Facebook message. Nothing.

And you know how I’m telling the truth? If that had ever happened, you would have read about it. See Wednesday’s paper as Exhibit A.

Even if any of this had happened, why would Lindsey think it would be a good idea to share it with the public like, well, this? And if it didn’t happen, and it didn’t, why would Lindsey say that it did, and then share it with the public like, well, this?

I’d ask her, but she’s already let all of us know what her staple response would be if we wanted a comment for the paper.  

Patrick Graham is the Proprietor and Publisher of The Covington News and The Walton Tribune. His email address is patrick.graham@waltontribune.com.