‘ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM’

UVA Board Member Apologizes for Crass Text Messages

Bert Ellis called one college official a “numnut” and others “schmucks.”

A member of the University of Virginia board has apologized for calling members of the college community “numnuts” and “schmucks” in text messages that were obtained by a freedom of information request and published by The Washington Post. Bert Ellis, a conservative appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, spoke at the start of a board meeting on Friday. “As the elephant in the room, may I once again to all of my colleagues offer my apology,” he said. “You know, those were private and confidential messages that were still out of place. I am emotional, and I have occasion to do things that I would never expect to be on the front page of The Washington Post. I have learned my lesson about FOIA, but I can’t put the genie back in the bottle. So all I can say is I’m sorry.”