A Georgia Lawmaker’s “disgusting” comments about the recently departed congressman and civil rights pillar John Lewis have caused him to lose his seat as a committee chairman.
What We Know:
- Georgia Representative Tommy Benton (R.-Jefferson) lost his seat as a committee chairman after his derogatory John Lewis comments during an interview on WJJC (1270 AM) Thursday.
- During the radio interview, Benton shared that he felt Lewis didn’t accomplish anything significant in 33 years as a congressman. “John Lewis his only claim to fame was that he got conked on the head at the (Edmund) Pettus Bridge,” Benton said. “And he has milked that for 50 years.” He also didn’t agree with a bipartisan effort to replace the statue of Confederacy Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stephen with Lewis.
- “I would suggest that before they do something like that, that they take a pilgrimage down to Crawfordville and visit the Alexander Stephen’s museum, and read all the stuff that he did do,” Benton said. “Now, the other person they’re talking about replacing his statue with –– I have never read of a significant piece of legislation that was passed with his name on it.”
- This wasn’t the first time Benton had a chairmanship stripped. In 2017, Benton distributed copies of “The Absurdity of Slavery as the Cause of the War Between the States” article to his House colleagues, which argued that the Civil War did not happen because of slavery. He also stated the terrorist group Ku Klux Klan wasn’t racist and that they were there to keep “law and order”. After, Benton was removed as chairman of House Human Relations and Aging Committee for one legislative year.
After the interview, House Speaker David Ralston announced Benton’s removal, calling his comments “offensive” and “disgusting”. “These comments do not reflect the values or the views of the House Majority Caucus,” Ralson said. “I can neither condone nor ignore such hurtful remarks.”
