Nebraska Democrat Official Who Said He's 'Glad' Scalise Was Shot Removed From Post

A Nebraska Democratic Party official has been ousted from his post after a recording emerged of him in which he was heard saying that he was glad GOP Rep. Steve Scalise had been shot and he wished the Louisiana representative was dead.

"Let me tell you, that (expletive,) who was he, the one who was shot, the Scafe guy," Phil Montag is heard saying in the recording, which first surfaced on the website talkrealsolutions.com on Thursday. "I mean, that guy, what's his name Schasee."

"Scalise," a woman is heard saying in response to Montag.

"I really don't want you to deflect right now," a man is heard saying.

"No, this (expletive,) like his whole job is like to get people, convince Republicans to (expletive) kick people off (expletive) health care," Montag says.

"I hate this (expletive,)" he says.

"We know all of this," a woman can be heard saying, interrupting Montag. "Phil, Phil," another man is heard saying, trying to interrupt Montag.

"I'm glad he got shot, I'm not gonna (expletive) say that in public," Montag says.

"Then what are you saying it to us for?" the unidentified man present in the room says, sounding frustrated.

"I wish he was (expletive) dead," Montag says.

The man in the room trying to interrupt Montag then tells him that he has been recording their conversation and he will be publicly releasing the audio.

Scalise, who was in critical condition following the shooting during a GOP congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, was finally released from the ICU on Thursday, more than a week after the shooting. Four others, including two members of law enforcement, were injured in the shooting.

Doctors said he was now in fair condition but will require an extended period of healing and rehabilitation.

The lone gunman, identified as James Hodgkinson, of Illinois, was killed.

Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, removed Montag from his post, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Kleeb removed Montag, who served as the co-chair of the technology committee, after the paper sent her a recording of the audio.

In an interview with the paper, Montag said he was horrified by the shooting in Virginia and all gun violence. He added that the conversation had been taken out of context and the recording had been edited. About a minute of the conversation was posted online, and the entire conversation had lasted about 30 minutes or an hour, Montag told the paper.

The other two people involved in the conversation were identified as Nebraska Democratic Party Black Caucus Chair Chelsey Gentry-Tipton and a friend of hers, Destin Madison.

Gentry-Tipton herself had posted in a Facebook thread after the shooting that she had a hard time feeling bad for the GOP because they were the same people that push pro-NRA legislation. However, she refused to resign when asked to do so by Kleeb, the World-Herald reported earlier this week.

As the paper notes, Kleeb could not fire Gentry-Tipton because she was elected to her position.

Pictured, police and emergency personnel are seen near the scene where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot during a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria on Wednesday, June 14. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)