Mocking a man’s religion is a usually a no-no in politics these days, but that didn’t stop a man with ties to President Obama’s campaign from tweeting bigoted wisecracks about the Mormon faith of Mitt Romney, Obama’s Republican rival. Samuel Cook III targeted Romney on Twitter after the candidate posted a tribute to astronaut Neil Armstrong, who died last week.

Cook initially defended his behavior but eventually deleted the tweets in question and apologized for his behavior. “I would like to personally apologize to Mitt Romney for my inartful remarks regarding his Neil Armstrong tribute,” he wrote on Facebook. “My comments were poorly worded and do not reflect my personal and professional commitments to tolerance and collegiality.”