Advertisement LePage apologizes to Maine people for voicemail, Dems say LePage needs professional help 'Prove I'm a racist,' governor tells Rep. Drew Gattine Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Gov. Paul R. LePage on Thursday left an angry voicemail for Rep. Drew Gattine, calling the Westbrook lawmaker a "son-of-a-bitch socialist (expletive)" and challenged him to "prove I'm a racist."LePage mentioned the phone message he had left for Gattine during an interview with WMTW News 8 reporter David Charns on Thursday.Gattine on Friday provided a copy of LePage's message to WMTW News 8."Mr. Gattine, this is Governor Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you (expletive). I want to talk to you, I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a bitch socialist (expletive). I need you to (inaudible) I want you to record this and make it public because I'm after you. Thank you."Charns interviewed Gattine Thursday, one day after LePage told a town hall audience that he was keeping a three-ring binder of photos of people arrested for drug dealing in Maine. LePage told the group that 90 percent of the suspects were African-American or Hispanics who traveled to Maine from Connecticut and New York to sell drugs.Related: After governor's comments, ACLU asks for Maine black, Hispanic arrest recordsGattine in his interview with Charns said the governor's comments were not helpful in the fight against heroin addiction.When leaving his office for lunch Thursday, Charns asked LePage what he thought about people saying he was racist. LePage asked for specific names. Charns said he had interviewed Gattine minutes before, but did not say Gattine had called the governor racist.In an interview Friday morning, Gattine said he was "stunned by the level of anger" in the governor's message. "The governor sounded out of control," Gattine said."I'm glad I wasn't in the room with him. He sounded like someone who was potentially violent," Gattine said.Related: What it takes to remove a governorDuring a news conference Friday, Democrats said LePage "is not mentally or emotionally fit to hold office.""The first thing that we do today is call for the governor to resign. We feel that the behavior he's exhibiting shows that he's not fit to govern this state right now," Assistant Majority Leader Sara Gideon said.Gattine said he did not call LePage a racist, but said he made racially-charged comments.LePage issued a written statement on the voicemail."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."LePage also spoke with reporters Friday afternoon.He said "racially-charged" is the same as calling him "racist.""He called me a racist and in my mind there is not a word in the English dictionary that I could repeat that is more hurtful, offensive for somebody that has worked with minorities, that have worked," LePage said.LePage said he will not resign from office.Related: Mainers express frustration, support of LePage comments"No I'm not going to resign. That's what they would love me to do," LePage said.LePage said he was not only mad at Democrats coming at him over his comments, but he also said they are blaming him for the heroin crisis."I'm like everybody else. I'm a human being. I have my limits. And that is my limit folks," LePage said.