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Mississippi Lawmaker Gene Alday Apologizes For Racist Comments

Mississippi Lawmaker Apologizes For Racist Comments
Sam Levine
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

Rep. Gene Alday, a Walls Republican, stands before the entire chamber and makes his apologies for remarks he made to a newspaper about black people in his hometown, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Alday told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in a story Sunday that in Walls, the town where he was once mayor and police chief, "all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call `welfare crazy checks.' They don't work." (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Rep. Gene Alday, a Walls Republican, stands before the entire chamber and makes his apologies for remarks he made to a newspaper about black people in his hometown, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Alday told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in a story Sunday that in Walls, the town where he was once mayor and police chief, "all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call `welfare crazy checks.' They don't work." (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A Mississippi lawmaker apologized on the floor of the state House of Representatives on Tuesday for accusing African Americans in his hometown of being lazy and receiving "crazy welfare checks."

State Rep. Gene Alday (R) initially said that his remarks had been taken out of context and that he didn't have a problem with African-Americans in his hometown.

"I didn't do it with intent, but I am deeply sorry for my recent statements and I was wrong to say what I did and there is no excuse for my behavior," Alday said on Tuesday. "I value the relationships I've made with everyone in this House."

Mississippi lawmakers, including Gov. Phil Bryant (R), distanced themselves from the comments. On Tuesday, Alday's apology was met with applause on the House floor, The Clarion-Ledger reported.

Alday's apology came after he made inflammatory comments to The Clarion-Ledger earlier this week.

"I come from a town where all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call 'welfare crazy checks.' They don't work," he told the paper. Alday also said that during a trip to an emergency room, he had to wait for hours because "they (black people) were in there being treated for gunshots."

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Larry Taylor

Racist Remarks Made By Politicians

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