Gov. Paul LePage left a “profanity laced voicemail” on the phone of Democratic State Rep. Drew Gattine, calling Gattine a “socialist c***sucker,” among other insults. Gattine had earlier referred to LePage as a racist, which is what reportedly set the governor off.

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Gov. LePage later apologized for the voicemail, but now he’s being called homophobic after saying that calling someone a “c***sucker” was the “worst word I could think of”:

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage released the following statement in light of Representative Drew Gattine’s comments of the Governor: “When someone calls me a racist, I take it very seriously. I didn’t know Drew Gattine from a hole in the wall until yesterday. It made me enormously angry when a TV reporter asked me for my reaction about Gattine calling me a racist. It is the absolute worst, most vile thing you can call a person. So I called Gattine and used the worst word I could think of. I apologize for that to the people of Maine, but I make no apology for trying to end the drug epidemic that is ravaging our state. Legislators like Gattine would rather be politically correct and protect ruthless drug dealers than work with me to stop this crisis that is killing five Mainers a week.”

“When I said I was going after Gattine, I meant I would do everything I could to see that he and his agenda is defeated politically. I am a history buff, and I referenced how political opponents used to call each other out in the 1820s—including Andrew Jackson, the father of the Democratic Party. Obviously, it is illegal today; it was simply a metaphor and I meant no physical harm to Gattine. But I am calling him out to stop giving inflammatory sound bites and get to work to end this crisis that is killing Mainers, destroying families and creating drug-addicted babies, all so the drug dealers Gattine is protecting can make a profit.”