ACLU leader resigns after 'joking' that he will have to 'shoot' anyone voting for Donald Trump 

An ACLU leader who drew rancor over his Facebook post threatening to 'shoot' Donald Trump voters resigned on Friday.

Loring Wirbel stepped down from his job with the Colorado Springs chapter of the ACLU after his Facebook post likening Trump to a Nazi and saying that he would have to shoot anyone who votes for him began making the Internet rounds, according to the New York Daily News.

His rant was accompanied by a USA Today article calling Trump a 'fear monger in chief.'

The original post, which has been taken down, read, 'The thing is, we have to really reach out to those who might consider voting for Trump and say, ‘This is Goebbels. This is the final solution. If you are voting for him. I will have to shoot you before election day.’ They’re not going to listen to reason, so when justice is gone, there’s always force, as Laurie would say.'

An ACLU volunteer in Colorado likened Donald Trump to a Nazi on Facebook and 'joked' that he would have to shoot his supporters (post above)

Republican Daniel Cole noticed the post and shared it, adding his own take on things (above)

Goebbels refers to one of Hitler's main henchmen, Joseph Goebbels. And Laurie refers to Laurie Anderson and her song, O Superman, according to the outlet.

The song's lyrics referenced are: 'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice / And when justice is gone, there's always force / And when force is gone, there's always Mom.'

On Facebook, executive director of the El Paso County Republican Party, Daniel Cole, reposted Wirbel's tirade on Thursday with the comment: 'Loring Wirbel, chairman of the Colorado Springs ACLU and board member of the Colorado ACLU, announces strategy to defeat Trump in 2016. It's a new take on voter outreach: shoot them.'

The day after the imprudent Facebook post, Wirbel resigned from the ACLU despite saying he was only 'joking' when he said he would have to shoot anyone who voted for Trump

Inflammatory comparison: Wirbel said that Trump was similar to Nazi Joseph Goebbels, who was one of Hitler's most devoted followers

Wirbel defended his post, saying it was just a 'joke' but admitted that he could see how it could cause offense, reported the Gazette.

'It was intended totally as a joke. They are taking that stuff out of context. It's smear politics,' he told the outlet.

But Cole, who is credited with first exposing the post, said 'I think it's outrageous on its face. It's beyond belief that he would think it was acceptable to post something like that.'

The ACLU, a group that defends a broad array of civil liberties, issued a statement saying it does not 'condone the recent personal Facebook post of regional volunteer Loring Wirbel.'

The group added: 'The ACLU of Colorado is a nonpartisan organization. We do not endorse candidates or parties. We have proudly spent decades fighting for the rights of all Coloradans, regardless of political affiliation, to vote and to freely participate in the political process. Our members, supporters, and volunteers are free to express their own personal views and opinions in their personal lives.'

'We have fought for decades to preserve that right, as well, for all Coloradans, no matter how strongly we disagree with the content.'

It's unclear if the ACLU was defending Wirbel's right to express his opinion, or Trump's right to defend his - or both.