LePage said at the time his reaction was warranted because he heard Gattine had called him a racist, something Gattine has denied.
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“Every day, Paul LePage gives ME people more evidence that he is unfit for office”. LePage’s recent doubling-down on that sentiment lead to a scandal in which he suggested he’d resign before finally telling reporters today (August 31) that he would stay in his position.
“The governor’s behavior continues to reverberate throughout ME and the nation, causing embarrassment to our state and making clear to all who are paying attention that he does not have the capacity to lead”.
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”. Bennett says LePage has demonstrated his commitment to the state by focusing on issues such as economic growth. “I will no longer speak to the press every again after today”, he said.
LePage, a second-term governor, said he doesn’t intend to talk to the media anymore, a claim he has made before.
Gov. Paul LePage showed he has learned nothing from the events of the past week, putting more pressure on Republican lawmakers to add their voices to the chorus demanding his resignation.
He explains that he thought Gattine was calling him racist – but now realizes that Gattine used the words “racially charged” instead, The Associated Press reports.
LePage apologized on Tuesday, saying his behavior was “unacceptable”, and met with Gattine on Wednesday.
LePage said he took the media’s “bait”, but he called the fact that the reporter appeared to suggest Gattine called LePage a racist was a “cheap shot”.
In a statement, his wife said the family recognizes “the grace and guidance from God can make us stronger in life”.
“Governor, please get some help”, said the longtime head of the Maine NAACP, Rachel Talbot Ross.
Gov. Paul LePage touched off a major firestorm a week ago, when he asserted that Maine’s heroin trafficking is primarily perpetrated by blacks and Hispanics. Earlier this year a group of lawmakers started an effort to impeach him, contending the governor overstepped his authority by threatening to withhold funds from a nonprofit group that hired a political rival, but that effort collapsed before making it to the full House.
“When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now I’d like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825”, LePage said, according to the Press Herald. He says the reporter owes him, Gattine and the ME people an apology.
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LePage has been mired in controversy throughout much of his governorship, no more so than last week, when a voicemail he left for a state representative was made public.
