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Maine gov denies that remarks on drug dealers, ‘white girl’ were racist

by Jesse Byrnes - 01/08/16 12:04 PM ET

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) on Friday denied that his remarks this week about protecting “young white” girls from out-of-town drug dealers were racist.

During a news conference in Augusta, LePage told reporters he meant to say “Maine women,” according to The New York Times, noting that Maine is “97 percent white.”

{mosads}“You guys look for the sound bite,” LePage accused the media. “You’re not helping us with the drug deals. You’re not helping us to really make it a major issue. You’re more interested in reporting that the legislature and the governor disagree. Yeah, we disagree.”

“Am I perfect? No. If I were perfect I would be a reporter,” LePage added, according to the Times.

LePage made headlines for remarks during a town hall Wednesday that “guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty” are going to Maine from New York and Connecticut to sell heroin.

“Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road,” he added Wednesday.

“I don’t know if they’re white, black, Asian. I don’t know,” LePage clarified Friday of the drug dealers.

A spokesman issued a statement Thursday evening saying his initial comments were not about race, but Democrats immediately seized on the remarks to blast LePage and go after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whom the Main governor has endorsed in the 2016 Republican presidential race.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign also ripped the “racist rants” of LePage, saying they distracted from the drug epidemic rippling through the country.

Tags 2016 presidential election Chris Chrisite Maine Paul LePage