Suburban State Rep Recorded Comments Called “Brazen and Disgusting”
State Representative Amy Grant (R-Wheaton).
A suburban Republican State Representative says she has reached out to her Black and gay Democratic opponent to apologize for comments in a recorded phone call which some House Democrats say included “outrageous and despicable” comments about African Americans and the LGBT community.
State Representative Amy Grant (R-Wheaton), a first term lawmaker seeking re-election, apparently made her comments in a fundraising call, which was recorded with her consent.
In the call, she tells the person she was speaking to, who wasn’t identified by Democrats in a Monday morning news conference, that her opponent, Ken Mejia-Beal, that he would be “another of those Cook County people.” Mejia-Bell lives in Lisle. The district they are competing for is entirely within DuPage County.
“He’ll be another member of the black caucus. That’s all we need is another person in the black caucus,” she says in the call. “I think he’s afraid to come into the district, the heart of the district anyhow. [He’s] afraid of the reaction people might give him because of the way he talks, all LGBTQ.”
In a statement released shortly before the Democrat news conference, Grant said “I deeply regret the comments I made about Ken Mejia-Beal, and reached out to apologize to him this morning. These comments do not reflect my heart or my faith.”
UPDATE 2:53 P.M.:
Mejia-Beal issued a statement Monday afternoon, calling Grant’s comments “hurtful, degrading, and wholly unacceptable.”
“Nowhere in Representative Grant’s one-line public response or the phone message she left me reading that same message is any acknowledgement that the statements she made so matter-of-factly on those recordings were also a grievous insult to every member of our community. Where is Representative Grant’s apology to those who hear her comments and wonder if they fit into her vision of our community? Where is the apology to all whose faith calls them to love their neighbors as themselves? Where is her apology to all in our area who are sick of politicians dividing people with their rhetoric? And where is Representative Grant’s commitment to use the time she has remaining in office to finally represent all of our unique community,” he asked.
Democrats who participated in the news conference condemned Grant’s comments.
“In her opinion, some people do not deserve to be in the community or represent the community in General Assembly, and that is appalling,” said Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood). “Nobody is disqualified to serve based on the color of their skin or who they love.”
“I’m still shocked when I hear stuff like this,” said House Majority Leader Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), who is gay. “I always hoped we were better than this, but these days it seems its ok to say out loud what people used to say in the shadows.”
“Is this what your caucus represents, Jim Durkin,” asked State Representative Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Hillside). Welch called out the House Republican leader and numerous suburban House Republicans in close races. Two include Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) and Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhust), who serve on the Special Investigating Committee looking into Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan’s role in a bribery scheme by utility giant Commonwealth Edison.
Welch chairs the Special Investigative Committee. Durkin’s spokesperson has not responded to the questions from Democrats.
Democrats played pieces of the recorded phone call but said they would not release the full phone call because it included details they should not release. We have requested the audio files played during the news conference from House Democrats, but so far have not received them.
House Republicans, though, have not argued the content of the comments or that they came from Grant.
The three Democrats on the call were asked if Grant should resign from the House, and none responded to the question directly.
“Her hatred toward African Americans and toward gay individuals is pretty clear,” said Davis.