CHARLOTTE —The man who could represent Scotland County in Congress next year has found himself in hot water after saying those protesting a police shooting in Charlotte “hate white people.”
U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, a Republican whose 9th District will include Scotland County next year, made the comment during an interview with “BBC Newsnight.” Pittenger had been asked about the concerns of protesters upset about Tuesday’s police shooting death of Keith L. Scott, who is black.
In the video posted online Thursday, Pittenger said: “The grievance in their mind is — the animus, the anger — they hate white people because white people are successful and they’re not.”
He also complained that too much is spent on welfare programs that ultimately hold people back.
“It is a welfare state. We have spent trillions of dollars on welfare, and we’ve put people in bondage, so they can’t be all they’re capable of being.”
Pittenger has since apologized.
“What is taking place in my hometown right now breaks my heart. My anguish led me to respond to a reporter’s question in a way that I regret,” he said in a statement. “My intent was to discuss the lack of economic mobility for African Americans because of failed policies. I apologize to those I offended and hope that we can bring peace and calm to Charlotte.”
The N.C. Democratic Party called Pittenger’s comments “racist.”
“These comments are inexcusable,” Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds said in a statement. “At a time when we need calm and understanding while we learn more about the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, Congressman Pittenger is fanning the flames of hate with his racist rhetoric. This sort of bigotry has become all to common under the party of Donald Trump.”
State Rep. Garland Pierce, a Scotland County Democrat, said Pittenger and all politicians need to think carefully before speaking.
“He has apologized because he realizes that he made a blunder and stuck his foot in his mouth,” Pierce said. “He needs to be the representative of all the people in the 9th District. And those kind of comments have no place in civic life.”
Walter Jackson, the chairman of the Scotland County Democratic Party, said he has only heard snippets of the Pittenger’s remarks, but it sounded like Pittenger used poor judgment.
“Everyone is human and can make mistakes or misstatements,” Jackson said, “but I should also say that Rep. Pittenger has been given the responsibility of representing a diverse constituency. He needs to be cognizant of that privilege.”
The 67-year-old Pittenger, who is seeking a third term, will face Democratic candidate Christian Cano in November.
Cano could not be reached for comment, but was critical of Pittenger’s comments on his Facebook page — Cano For Congress NC09.
“We knew that the crazy fundamentalist political rhetoric that Robert Pittenger has been spewing over the years needed to be stopped,” Cano wrote.”We have real world issues facing our family, friends, and neighbors. Ignorant hateful stereotypes take the focus off what we can do as Americans when we work together.”
In the same Facebook post, Cano makes what some might consider his own racially derogatory remarks.
“And I’ll be darned if I let some fading old white nationalist continue to marginalize my Mijas and Mijos or my neighbor, wrote Cano, who is Hispanic. “We will continue to stand for everyone equally regardless of their political views or party affiliations.”
The newspaper could not reach Mark Schenck, chairman of the Scotland County Republican Party, for a comment.
Pittenger, who was first elected to his seat in 2012, won a razor-thin Republican primary this year after a recount. His largely affluent district was redrawn under court-ordered redistricting and now includes poorer areas. He has visited Laurinburg several times this election year.
The new 9th District comprises all of Scotland, Richmond, Anson, Union, and Robeson counties, as well as parts of Mecklenburg, Cumberland and Bladen counties. The redrawing was in response to a federal court’s ruling by a three-judge panel earlier this year that two North Carolina congressional districts, the 1st and 12th, were gerrymandered based on race.