Kansas Governor Wants 'Master Race' Official to Step Down

A county commissioner made the statement to a black city planner.
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 19, 2018 5:30 PM CST
Official Who Cited Nazi Ideology Should Quit, Kansas Gov Says
Video shows a white county commissioner saying he belongs to "the master race."   (Board of Leavenworth County Commissioners via AP)

The Kansas governor has issued a response to a controversy over a county commissioner who made statements that evoked Nazi ideology while addressing a black city planner: Louis Klemp needs to apologize and quit, Gov. Jeff Colyer said over the weekend. "Racial and discriminative language have no place in our society and most especially when spoken by someone holding public office," the Republican said. Colyer joined members of the Leavenworth County Commission in calling for Klemp to resign before his term is up Jan. 15. According to KSHB, Klemp previously made waves with remarks he made about Robert E. Lee.

Per the AP, Klemp cited the master race-the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy-at a board meeting Nov. 15 while responding to a presentation by Triveece Penelton. "I don't want you to think I'm picking on you because we're part of the master race," Klemp told Penelton. He then said he didn't like any of the land use options that she had presented to the commission. Klemp told KSHB off camera that his comment was a joke. (Kansas recently elected a Democrat in what many saw as a tightly contested gubernatorial race.)

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