LePage previously identified CT and NY as the sources of drugs entering ME, but expanded the landscape to include the two former industrial mill cities along the northern border of MA.
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Stephen King, however, has no problem calling out his state’s Governor, or going on the record assigning the label of “racist” to the man. House Republicans will caucus Tuesday to discuss a strategy. Drew Gattine (a Democrat) had called LePage (a Republican) a racist, and asked LePage how he felt about it. Drew Gattine this week, after Gattine took issue with some of his comments about people of colour.
The voicemail followed another controversy in which LePage, who is white, said at a town hall meeting in ME that he had a collection of photographs of drug dealers arrested in the state, and that 90 percent of them “were black and Hispanic people”.
Lewis questioned why LePage is mentioning the race of the arrested drug dealers in the first place. The governor left Gattine an “expletive-laden phone message”, which LePage publicized, and told reporters he was so angry he would like to challenge Gattine to a duel and put a gun to his head.
In a speech on Friday, Maine Gov. Paul LePage encouraged law enforcement to profile people of color, who he claimed are “the enemy right now” in the state’s opioid crisis.
He repeated claims he made last week when he told State House News Service that whites from ME are responsible for methamphetamine-related crime, while out-of-state blacks and Hispanics are responsible for the heroin trade.
Let me tell you this, let me tell you, explain to you: I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state.
“People are ashamed, they are embarrassed, they want real action”, Alfond said, adding that a recall option could be created via legislature or through a citizens’ referendum. The governor has displayed behavior that indicates he is not in control of himself and is unfit to carry out the serious duties of his office. “I think the Maine people are getting extremely concerned after six years and these kind of escalating events with respect to our governor, that he’s not at the point where he isn’t fit to be governor”.
In the message, the Governor shouted: “I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c**ksucker”.
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Democratic leaders also issued a statement Monday reiterating their position that LePage needed to resign. It is republished with permission.
