People clap during speeches at a rally to protest recent remarks by Maine Gov. Paul LePage in Capital Park in Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. The My Place Teen Center, where LePage had meant to hold an abruptly canceled town hall meeting Wednesday, collected donations at the event.
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ME state Rep. Drew Gattine. “Because (Gattine) never called me racist”, LePage told reporters, according to video from a Maine News 13 reporter Wednesday. LePage calls in to radio stations at least twice a week, holds town halls nearly weekly, and regularly meets with community groups and trade organizations, his communication director Peter Steele tells the Monitor in an email. Many residents opposed the idea of LePage holding such an event in the city after recently bashing Gattine. But he told WSCH6-TV he thinks Gattine owes him “a little bit of an apology”.
You might remember that the Republican governor left a remarkably vulgar message for Democratic Maine Rep. Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett said LePage has showed “true remorse” and urged the governor to now focus on his reform agenda.
Since he was elected in 2010, the Republican has told critics of his decision to skip a civil rights breakfast to “kiss my butt” and accused a Democratic rival of forcing budget measures on taxpayers “without Vaseline”.
After leaving an obscene voicemail for a state legislator, Maine Gov. Paul LePage has apologized to that lawmaker, waffled on whether he would consider resigning, and stood by his widely criticized comments characterizing drug dealers as overwhelmingly black and Hispanic.
Asked on Wednesday whether he would change any of his behavior moving forward, the governor said, “I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today”.
“Being called a racist was a disgusting thing to me – it was enormously hurtful”.
The controversy swirling around Gov. Paul LePage started last Wednesday night, when he responded to a question from a purported businessman at a town hall meeting in North Berwick. But he has now described his behaviour as “unacceptable”.
In recent days, legislators have called for LePage to step down or get professional help after his remarks to Gattine and comments he made blaming blacks and Hispanics for Maine’s heroin epidemic.
In a statement, his wife said the family recognizes “the grace and guidance from God can make us stronger in life”. He has said repeatedly blacks and Hispanics are responsible for fueling Maine’s heroin epidemic.
When pressed by ABC News regarding whether he still believes after the meeting that LePage should resign, Gattine said, “I would like to see a different governor”.
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In the voicemail released by the Maine State House Majority Office last week, LePage could be heard saying that he wanted Gattine to “prove” that he was a racist. Officials in MA have ripped the governor’s claim that blacks and Hispanics in their towns are pumping dope into Maine.
