NC Republican lawmaker’s cringeworthy remark sends 'school choice' debate off the rails
A North Carolina Republican lawmaker’s cringeworthy remark sent a state House debate over school choice off the rails.
Rep. Jeffrey McNeely during the debate suggested that his Democratic colleague Abe Jones, who is a Black Harvard graduate, wouldn’t have been admitted to the prestigious school if he wasn’t a minority, video posted on Twitter by freelance journalist Bryan Anderson shows.
“I understand that you went to public school and that you went to Harvard and Harvard Law, and the question I have is would you have been able to maybe achieve this if you were not an athlete or a minority, or any of these things,” McNeely said.
An incredulous Rep. Robert Reives II responded saying: “OK, I’m hoping I’m not the only one who got shocked by that comment that the only reason you went to Harvard is because you were Black and an athlete?”
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“I did not say that,” a defensive McNeely replied. “I said did that end up being one of the reasons.”
Republican Speaker Tim Moore said “the gentleman from Iredell is no longer recognized.”
“I’m just going to say one thing,” Jones said in response to McNeely’s remark.
“Harvard had five ratings for their students (1 through 5) and I was ranked (No. 2).
“So I earned my place and I did well,” he said to loud applause.
McNeely later apologized to Jones on the House floor, Anderson tweeted.
McNeely said: “I respect Representative Jones. I think he’s a great legislator. I think he’s a great man. What I tried to ask or say did not come out right. That happens a lot, and I apologize."
This isn’t McNeely’s first brush with controversy.
Anderson reports that the North Carolina congressman earlier this month in a Facebook livestream compared the state’s Bureau’ oversight to Nazis, saying “The SBI has always been kind of the tool, call them the Nazis if you want to, of the Attorney General/Governor."
Watch video below or at this link.
\u201cVIDEO: Here\u2019s the exchange between Republican Rep. Jeff McNeely and Democratic Rep. Abe Jones of Wake County during school choice bill debate \u2014> #ncpol\u201d— Bryan Anderson (@Bryan Anderson) 1684347147
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