GOP leader apologizes for 'junk people' immigrant post

Former state legislator Mike Lawlor, a Democrat, posted on Facebook, a link to a Buzzfeed story about James Alex Fields Jr., the alleged Nazi sympathizer from Ohio who was charged with driving his muscle car into a counterprotest in Virginia Saturday. less Former state legislator Mike Lawlor, a Democrat, posted on Facebook, a link to a Buzzfeed story about James Alex Fields Jr., the alleged Nazi sympathizer from Ohio who was charged with driving his muscle car ... more Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close GOP leader apologizes for 'junk people' immigrant post 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

A state GOP leader says she’s sorry for a Facebook rant — posted in the wake of the deadly melee in Charlottesville, Va., incited by white supremacists— referring to immigrants who commit crimes as “junk people” who “deserve what they get.”

“As for xenophobia, what a bunch of crock. I'm tired for paying for every foreigner showing up, some of whom are here just to make trouble instead of settling and making something of themselves,” Patricia Fers, a Republican State Central Committee member from Ansonia, posted early Sunday morning. “Those junk people who won't support themselves and who do by crime deserve what they get.”

Fers was responding to a Facebook post by Mike Lawlor, a Democrat who is Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s criminal justice czar and is a former state legislator. Lawlor linked to a Buzzfeed story about James Alex Fields Jr., the alleged Nazi sympathizer from Ohio who was charged with driving his muscle car into a counterprotest in Virginia Saturday, killing 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer and injuring scores of people.

“Trump voters: you totally own this...” Lawlor posted .

Fers, an alternate Trump delegate to last year’s Republican National Convention and one of 72 members of the state party’s governing body, said she regretted the wording of the post.

“That was a mistake,” Fers said. “It gets so emotional. I should have gone back and apologized for that. It was a typo. Nobody called me on it. I typed the wrong thing. I was typing it in the dark in the bedroom with a very small light.”

Fers said Democrats are politicizing the violence in Charlottesville and are painting Trump’s supporters like herself, the daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant, with broad brush.

“I feel sorry for the young lady who was murdered,” Fers said. “But for heaven’s sake, every riot that’s been around Trump Tower, Washington, all the bull(—) the day of the inauguration…that’s not the way this is meant to be and it’s not the way I was brought up.”

Lawlor said there was only one way to interpret Fers’ comment.

“I think people should see this,” Lawlor said. “These are statements coming from a party leader and public figure posted on public forum. The words are pretty clear. I don’t really know how they run that party over there. They nominated Donald Trump. I guess that speaks for itself.”

State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano blasted Lawlor’s initial smear of Trump voters as “scary.”

“I think it’s completely inappropriate for him to generalize an entire group of people that way,” Romano said. “I’m not sitting here saying I agree with what Pat said, but you’re giving (Lawlor) a pass. Does Bernie Sanders own the nutjob that was trying to shoot up Republicans because, under that vein of thought, he does.”

Not so fast

“You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.”

Sage words from Kenny Rogers — especially if you’re counting on public financing for your 2018 campaign for governor.

A raft of candidates is scrambling to raise $250,000 in $100 increments or less to “qualify” for millions of dollars of funding under Connecticut’s clean-elections program.

But there’s a catch.

“We can’t accept applications until people are on the ballot,” said Joshua Foley, a spokesman for the state Elections Enforcement Commission. “So it’s next May at the earliest.”

That’s when Republicans and Democrats hold their state party conventions, where candidates need the votes of at least 15 percent of the delegates to have their name placed on the primary ballot. Otherwise, there’s a petition mechanism that involves collecting signatures from 2 percent of registered party members.

So while getting to the $250,000 is a symbol of viability, it’s somewhat academic at the moment.

But don’t tell that to state Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, R-Glastonbury, who announced last week that he had raised the $250,000 for his gubernatorial bid.

“This is a big step, but it is just the first step,” Srinivasan said.

The grant amounts for next year still haven’t been determined, but were $1.4 million for the primary and $6.5 million for the general election in the 2014 governor’s race.

Scarborough cameo in Trump ad

Donald Trump is still getting his fix of “Morning Joe.”

Because 2020 is right around the corner, the president released a new campaign ad Sunday — and Joe Scarborough plays a starring role.

Photos of the MSNBC personality and his fiancee co-host, Mika Brzezinski, appear in the 30-second spot for Trump, which accuses “the media of attacking our president.”

But will the commercial hasten Scarborough’s vowed exit from the GOP?