Kansas governor calls for resignation of county official who made ‘master race’ comment to black woman

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) is calling for the resignation of a white county official who made a comment about being part of the “master race.”
Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp sparked backlash last week after making the comment, directed at a black woman during a public hearing.
“Racial and discriminative language have no place in our society, and most especially when spoken by someone holding a public office,” Colyer said in a statement.
“The inappropriate remarks made by Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of the county which he represents,” the statement read. “As such, I call on him to step down as County Commissioner.”
#ksleg pic.twitter.com/i2ndgoWDcq
— Governor Jeff Colyer (@GovJeffColyer) November 17, 2018
Klemp, who was appointed by the Republican Party, made the comments, which were recorded on camera, as an African-American woman was presenting for a landscape and architectural firm.
{mosads}“I don’t want to think I’m picking on you because we’re part of the master race,” Klemp said last Tuesday. “You know you got a gap in your teeth you’re the master. Don’t ever forget that.”
One of Klemp’s fellow commissioners urged Klemp to apologize, and questioned the meaning of the comments: “What’s this master race? None of us are master race. We’re all American and we’re all human beings,” said County Commissioner Bob Holland.
Klemp has made controversial statements about race in the past, according to local reports, including referring to Confederate General Robert E. Lee as a “wonderful part of history.”
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