Consultant fired after making racist comment during Vermont Senate Transportation Committee video call

A consultant has been fired after he was heard making a racist slur during a break in a Vermont Senate Transportation Committee meeting held via Zoom video conferencing, according to his employer.

The man, identified on the committee’s agenda as Steven Gayle, a consultant for Resource Systems Group, Inc., had been scheduled to testify to the committee on Wednesday. His name was also displayed on the Zoom video.

After learning of the incident, Resource Systems Group CEO Stephen Lawe issued an apology on behalf of his company. “I apologize to anyone affected by these deplorable remarks. The outburst by an employee of RSG is both regrettable and unforgivable. This kind of behavior is not at all tolerated and the employee was terminated immediately,” he said.

While RSG has removed Gayle’s information page from its company website, Gayle’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a “national expert in metropolitan transportation planning” and shows he joined RSG in 2011.

“RSG takes great pride in the quality of work and the quality of employees in our organization. We have immediately begun to put in place additional safeguards to assure that our current employees are aligned properly with our company values and uphold them — as well as assure that all future employees uphold those critical values,” Lawe added.

Vermont Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray said she supported RSG’s decision to terminate its employee. “This behavior has no place in Vermont, and I stand with state leadership in condemning this incident and calling for accountability,” she said on Thursday.

Video of Wednesday’s Vermont Senate Committee on Transportation meeting, posted online by the committee, has since been edited to exclude the man’s racist epithets.

CNN has attempted to reach Gayle for comment.