At a Capitol Annex press conference Wednesday afternoon, House Democratic Leaders Joni Jenkins, Derrick Graham and Angie Hatton called for House Republican leaders to begin a formal censure of state Rep. Savannah Maddox.
The Democratic leaders said they were calling for the rebuke for two reasons.
The first was for her taking part earlier this month at a Capitol rally that drew bipartisan condemnation for its racist imagery and set the stage for this past Sunday’s rally in which Gov. Andy Beshear was hanged in effigy from a tree.
The second reason was the recent discovery of an array of tweets Maddox wrote approximately five years ago, before she became a legislator. The leaders said those tweets were racist, homophobic and intolerant of other religions.
“We are asking Rep. Maddox to renounce and apologize for comments she made this month and in tweets years ago,” the House Democratic leaders said in a statement.
“To echo Governor Beshear’s remarks, you cannot fan the flames and then condemn the fire. Rep. Maddox’s words and actions have gone too far, and it is time for the House to make an official stand and declare this is not who we are and that we should not tolerate such hateful rhetoric.”
Links to examples of Rep. Maddox’s tweets.