The West Virginia Senate GOP primary debate on Fox News aired tonight, and controversial candidate Don Blankenship stood by some rather stunning remarks he’s made.

Blankenship was grilled earlier over the deaths of 29 workers at his coal mine––a serious accident that resulted in him serving a 1-year jail sentence––and over his attacks on Mitch McConnell.

The Senate Majority Leader is married to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and days ago Blankenship talked about her father being a “wealthy Chinaperson” and went after McConnell for being “soft on China.”

During the debate tonight, Bret Baier first brought up “Cocaine Mitch” and asked Blankenship how he plans to work with McConnell if he’s elected. Blankenship immediately responded by saying McConnell needs to go.

He went on to say again McConnell has “conflicts of interest with China,” claiming he “interferes in elections” across the United States.

Baier brought up his “Chinaperson” insult and asks how he expects to get things done if he’s hurting rhetoric like that at a Cabinet secretary.

“I’m not going to D.C. to get along,” Blankenship responded, before, well, saying all of this:

“This idea that calling somebody a Chinaperson––I mean, I’m an Americanperson. I don’t see this insinuation by the press that there’s something racist about saying ‘a Chinaperson.’ Some people are Koreanpersons and some of them are Africanpersons. There’s not any slander there.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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