Maine lawmaker: LePage 'probably needs to get some sort of professional help'

Maine state Rep. Drew Gattine is not looking for an apology from Paul LePage after the governor left him a profanity-laced tirade on voicemail and later challenged the Democratic lawmaker to a duel after saying he had been accused of being a racist.

But the Republican governor should consider seeking "some sort of professional help," Gattine told CNN's "New Day" on Monday.


Gattine, asked what he expected from LePage in the way of an apology or anything else, remarked that he did not expect any personal mea culpa from the governor.

"Again, that is absolutely not his style," Gattine said. "I think Maine people are getting extremely concerned after six years and these kind of escalating events with respect to our governor, that he is now at the point where he isn't fit to be governor, that he really probably needs to get some sort of professional help and that, as a state, we're not going to be able to solve our problems, including this very serious problem we have with heroin under the leadership of this governor. And you know, we're just concerned that we can't move our state forward with this man as our governor."

LePage issued a statement Friday, apologizing for using derogatory language in his call to Gattine but adding, "I make no apology for trying to end the drug epidemic that is ravaging our state."

Gattine's comments about LePage came when a local TV reporter asked his opinion about the governor's suggestion that the majority of people engaged in criminal activity related to heroin and other drugs in the state are black and Hispanic.

"What I told the TV reporter is that I didn't think that those kinds of racially charged comments were really helpful in our effort to try to solve this terrible crisis we're having up here in Maine that is killing lots of people," Gattine said.

Asked whether he called LePage racist, Gattine responded, "No, absolutely not."

"I mean, I think the words I just said to you are exactly what I said," Gattine added. "I said that those kinds of racially charged comments are not helpful in solving the crisis. Again, this governor likes to throw stones. I try not to throw stones back. You know, I was being very careful in terms of what I said."