Rep. Steve Israel, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said on a recent CNN appearance that the majority of Republican lawmakers and party members are racist — but then threw a bone and clarified that maybe “not all” were.
“To a significant extent, the Republican base does have elements that are animated by racism, and that’s unfortunate,” said Mr. Israel, New York Democrat, Politico reported. “Not all.”
His comments came in context of discussing a recent speech Attorney General Eric Holder gave to a civil rights group, during which he complained of what he said was disrespectful treatment during his House Judiciary Committee testimony. Mr. Holder didn’t say that treatment — which he described as “unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and divisive” — stemmed from racism.
CNN’s Candy Crowley said Mr. Holder believed that he wouldn’t have been subjected to that treatment “were [he] not African-American,” Politico reported.
Meanwhile, National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, Rep. Greg Walden, said GOPers were only trying to focus on the “executive overreaches by this administration” and that “the American people just want to know the truth,” he said, Politico reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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