An elected official in Rockland County has caused controversy after sharing a post about a Muslim U.S. congresswoman on his personal Facebook page.

Airmont Deputy Mayor Brian Downey confirmed with News 12 he reposted a photo falsely claiming it was an image of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia.

He wrote "Congresswoman at Al' Quaida training camp in Somalia. She is trying to get this picture blocked. Share it everywhere." 

Downey says it was a joke and doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with it.

State Assemblyman Ken Zebrowksi, who is Facebook friends with Downey but doesn’t know him personally, says those kind of posts are inappropriate in any context for any elected official.

"All elected officials should be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  We should not be on our personal or official Facebook pages delving into divisive rhetoric. Let's talk about what we should be doing for the people we represent," he says.

Both the mayor of Airmont and those who live in the area also told News 12 they don’t think it was appropriate for Downey, as an elected official, to share the post on his personal page.