West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice credited his black friends as proof he is not racist after taking flak for saying he didn’t want former President Barack Obama in his state.
After recently telling reporters that all presidents were welcome in West Virginia except Obama, the Republican governor’s office has said the remarks were “in jest” and referred to Obama’s “War on Coal,” according to the Associated Press.
“I would surely hope and pray that anybody that knows me would know that there’s not a racial bone in my body,” Justice said in defense of accusations that his comments were racially insensitive. “And from the standpoint of people casting stones in that regard, that’s just terrible, it’s ridiculous because that’s just not me in any way.”
Justice also said he has black friends and regularly associates with the black community. He also cited how he encouraged black West Virginians to get tested for the coronavirus since they are at higher risk.
“If people only knew my extended family, you know, and all the African American people that I associate with and that I take care of, families that I take care of, and people, individuals, kids, and everything, that I take care of and that I’m in communication with every day, almost,” Justice said.
The governor also hit at Obama’s record on coal, an industry that serves as the economic backbone of West Virginia.
“My comments had nothing whatsoever in any way to do with skin color,” Justice said. “My comments have everything to do with policies, the policies of an administration that crippled this state.”
Justice was elected in 2016 as a Democrat but announced he was switching parties at a Trump rally less than a year after taking office. He is facing GOP opposition in a primary election next week.
