Politico Reporter Suspended Over Romney 'White Folks' Dig

Joe Williams implies Mitt 'awkward' around non-whites
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 22, 2012 6:48 AM CDT
Updated Jun 22, 2012 7:56 AM CDT

Politico has suspended White House correspondent Joe Williams following his implication that Mitt Romney is only at ease among "white folks." Williams told Martin Bashir on MSNBC yesterday that Romney is "very, very comfortable ... with people who are like him," Thus he can be "awkward" in town hall meetings, but "when he comes on Fox and Friends, they're like him, they're white folks who are very much relaxed in their own company."

Daily Intel points out that a Romney penis joke Williams made on Twitter only added fuel to the fire. And so Politico responded. Williams' comments "fell short of our standards for fairness and judgment in an especially unfortunate way," Politico bosses wrote in a staff memo. "An unacceptable number of Joe Williams' public statements on cable and Twitter have called into question his commitment to this responsibility," they noted. "Following discussion of this matter with editors, Joe has been suspended while we review the matter." (More Mitt Romney stories.)

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