Naval academy alumni board member resigns after racist rant overheard on Facebook livestream

A member of the US Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees resigned over the weekend after accidentally live streaming a conversation filled with racist slurs.

Scott Bethmann, 63, was discussing reactions to Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd protests with his wife, Nancy, when one of them apparently began a Facebook live stream.

At one point during the rant, Mr Bethmann asks his wife if she is "against the n******?," after she complains about ethnic diversity.

"They're gonna get the blacks and the f***ing Asians from China who love to steal all of our intellectual property," she said.

Mr Bethmann's comments suggest he believed that racial justice initiatives would result in the firing of white people.

"I've got the email about how we're supporting and we need to fix this problem. F*** you. So all the white people have to say something nice to black b**** that works in the office. But the black b**** don't get fired," he said. "It's bulls***. Management's going to fire the white people."

He claimed that the initiatives made it impossible for white people to speak.

"The white motherf****** can't say anything," he said. "That's the point we're making here, Nancy."

The clip streamed for just over a half hour, before Mr Bethmann realised what had happened and cut the feed. Mr Bethmann deleted the video and his Facebook account, but people watching the stream managed to record it before he could destroy the video.

Mr Bethmann resigned from the Naval Academy Alumni Association on Saturday amid discussions on social media over whether his racist views impacted recruitment for the organisation.

"These attributed statements do not represent the mission and values of the Alumni Association, the Naval Academy or the US Navy. As volunteer leaders in our communities we must be inspirations and examples for all citizens," Retired Admiral Samuel J Locklear III of the alumni organisation, said in a written statement.

"As Chairman of our Alumni Association, I have accepted the resignation of this alumnus effective today, and asked the Jacksonville, FL, chapter to take appropriate action to appoint a new Chapter Trustee."

In addition to losing his job, Mr Bethmann's membership to the Atlantic Beach Country Club was revoked.

After having their statements aired, Mr Bethman and his wife issued a written apology and said they would work to improve themselves and their views.

"There are no words that can appropriately express how mortified and apologetic my wife and I are about the insensitive things we said that were captured on social media. There is never a time when it is appropriate to use derogatory terms when speaking about our fellow man. I know that an apology from us rings hollow on many ears in our community, especially in the current environment. We intend on using this experience as an opportunity to grow, listen, learn, and reflect," the statement read.

"We are deeply sorry for the impact our actions have had on the Naval Academy, my fellow servicemen and women, our former colleagues, friends, family and the community as a whole. We are committed to educating ourselves more on the racial inequalities in this country and being better people."