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Maine Governor goes on a tirade against a Democratic rep, calling him a 'c***sucker' and challenging him to a duel a day after coming under fire for 'racially insensitive' comments
Maine Republican Gov Paul LePage is under fire for unleashing an obscene tirade on a Democratic legislator - just a day after the governor said that he collected photos of arrested drug dealers in the state, claiming that more than 90 per cent of them are black or Hispanic.
The governor made the drug dealer remark at a town hall in North Berwick on Wednesday, a day he also said the father of a dead Muslim US Army captain is a 'con artist' for criticizing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Following his comments, LePage unleashed a tirade on Rep Drew Gattine of Westbrook, leaving him a voicemail message that said 'I am after you' and telling reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel and point a gun between his eyes.
LePage said in the Thursday morning voicemail that he wanted to talk with Gattine about the legislator calling him a racist.
'Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage,' the governor can be heard saying in a recording of the voicemail. 'I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c***sucker. I want to talk to you.
'I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-b****, socialist c***scuker. You … I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.'
Since receiving the voicemail, Gattine has denied calling LePage a racist.
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House and Senate Democrats and the Maine Democratic Party on Friday questioned LePage's capacity to lead. LePage's office didn't immediately comment.
LePage's comment about drug dealers came after a businessman asked how he could bring a company to Maine 'given the rhetoric you put out there about people of color', the Portland Press Herald reported.
LePage, who's white, said he keeps a three-ring binder of photos from drug busts.
He said: 'Let me tell you this, explain to you, I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state.
'Now ever since I said that comment I've been collecting every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state.
'I don't ask them to come to Maine and sell their poison, but they come and I will tell you that 90-plus per cent of those pictures in my book, and it's a three-ringed binder, are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut, the Bronx and Brooklyn.'
Some critics called his comments racially charged. He said during the event he's not racist and he's concerned that out-of-state drug dealers are bringing heroin into the state.
On Thursday, he told the Portland Press Herald his focus on the drug crisis is tainted by his opponents playing 'election year politics'.
LePage stood by the comments, saying his statement wasn't racist and neither is he.
In an exchange outside his State House office, he told reporters: 'Let me tell you something: Black people come up the highway and they kill Mainers. You ought to look into that.'
Maine Governor goes on a tirade against a Democratic rep, calling him a 'c***sucker' and challenging him to a duel a day after coming under fire for 'racially insensitive' comments
- Maine Republican Gov Paul LePage delivered his comments at a townhall in North Berwick on Wednesday
- They came after a businessman asked how he could bring a company to Maine 'given the rhetoric you put out there about people of color'
- LePage, who is white, said he keeps a binder of photos from drug busts, and said the majority of the mugshots are of 'black and Hispanic people'
- At the same meeting, he also said Khizr Khan, the father of a dead Muslim US Army captain, is a 'con artist'
- Following his comments, LePage unleashed a tirade on Rep Drew Gattine of Westbrook
- He left Gattine a voicemail message that said 'I am after you'
- He then told reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel and point a gun between his eyes
Maine Republican Gov Paul LePage is under fire for unleashing an obscene tirade on a Democratic legislator - just a day after the governor said that he collected photos of arrested drug dealers in the state, claiming that more than 90 per cent of them are black or Hispanic.
The governor made the drug dealer remark at a town hall in North Berwick on Wednesday, a day he also said the father of a dead Muslim US Army captain is a 'con artist' for criticizing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Following his comments, LePage unleashed a tirade on Rep Drew Gattine of Westbrook, leaving him a voicemail message that said 'I am after you' and telling reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel and point a gun between his eyes.
LePage said in the Thursday morning voicemail that he wanted to talk with Gattine about the legislator calling him a racist.
'Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage,' the governor can be heard saying in a recording of the voicemail. 'I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c***sucker. I want to talk to you.
'I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-b****, socialist c***scuker. You … I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.'
Since receiving the voicemail, Gattine has denied calling LePage a racist.
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House and Senate Democrats and the Maine Democratic Party on Friday questioned LePage's capacity to lead. LePage's office didn't immediately comment.
LePage's comment about drug dealers came after a businessman asked how he could bring a company to Maine 'given the rhetoric you put out there about people of color', the Portland Press Herald reported.
LePage, who's white, said he keeps a three-ring binder of photos from drug busts.
He said: 'Let me tell you this, explain to you, I made the comment that black people are trafficking in our state.
'Now ever since I said that comment I've been collecting every single drug dealer who has been arrested in our state.
'I don't ask them to come to Maine and sell their poison, but they come and I will tell you that 90-plus per cent of those pictures in my book, and it's a three-ringed binder, are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut, the Bronx and Brooklyn.'
Some critics called his comments racially charged. He said during the event he's not racist and he's concerned that out-of-state drug dealers are bringing heroin into the state.
On Thursday, he told the Portland Press Herald his focus on the drug crisis is tainted by his opponents playing 'election year politics'.
LePage stood by the comments, saying his statement wasn't racist and neither is he.
In an exchange outside his State House office, he told reporters: 'Let me tell you something: Black people come up the highway and they kill Mainers. You ought to look into that.'
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