*A state representative has issued an apology after making racially-insensitive comments against her Asian opponent during the primary election.
Michigan state Rep. Bettie Cook Scott has come under fire after she called Rep. Stephanie Chang and her campaign staff “ching-chongs”, the Detroit Metro Times reported.
Scott reportedly referred to her opponent as “ching-chang” and “ching-chong” to voters outside polling precincts, MSN reported. She also told one of Chang’s campaign volunteers “You don’t belong here” and “I want you out of my country.”
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Wendy Raquel Robinson to Divorce – Young Thug Arrested Hours After B-day
Nineteen groups have called on state Rep. Bettie Cook Scott to resign. https://t.co/OXNZ3XHXfL
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) August 18, 2018
As if it couldn’t get any worse… Scott is said to have confronted Chang’s African-American husband and fired off a few choice words at him for marrying her. She also reportedly told a voter that it “disgusts” her to see “black people holding signs for these Asians and not supporting their own people.”
Chang and Scott ran against each other in the Democratic Party primary for Michigan’s 1st Senate District. Chang won with nearly 50 percent of the vote, according to the report.
“These comments are offensive to all Asian-Americans,” Chang told Metro Times. “It isn’t about me. It’s about an elected official disrespecting entire populations, whether they be Asian-American, immigrant, or residents of Sen. District 1 or (Cook’s) own current House district.”
“We expect better from anyone who wants to call themselves a Michigan Democrat,” the party’s chairman Brandon Dillon said in a statement. “Bettie Cook Scott needs to apologize to the entire Asian-American community. If an individual doesn’t share our fundamental values of tolerance, decency, and respect, they should find another party.”
Following the criticism, Scott released a statement apologizing for the cruel comments.
“Those are not the kinds of comments that should be made nor are they the kind of comments I would normally make,” Scott said, according to the Detroit News. “I humbly apologize to Rep. Chang and to her husband, Mr. Gray, and to the broader Asian-American community.”
“We live in a time of increasing divisiveness,” she added. “As a state representative, I should never do anything to contribute to an atmosphere of divisiveness and for that, I am terribly sorry. I look forward to meeting with Rep. Chang to express my apologies directly to her as soon as she’s able to meet with me.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
