Rick Perry Dodges On Bundy’s Slavery Remarks: ‘Bundy Is A Side Issue’

Texas Gov. Rick Perry meets with members of the media, Monday, April 22, 2013, in Chicago as he visits Illinois to spark competition by luring businesses away from the state.
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) elected not to denounce Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s racially charged remarks Thursday.

CBS This Morning’s Norah O’Donnell gave Perry the opportunity. “Clive Bundy made some very inflammatory racial comments that were reported in the New York Times today. Do you denounce those comments?” she asked.

“I don’t know what he said, but the fact is Clyde (sic) Bundy is a side issue here compared to what we’re looking at in the state of Texas,” Perry said. “He is an individual. Deal with his issues as you may. “

“What we have in the state of Texas … the federal government is coming in and attempting from our perspective to take over private property,” he continued.

Perry had previously made remarks critical of the armed federal presence during the Bundy Ranch standoff over cattle grazing. “I have a problem with the federal government putting citizens in the position of having to feel like they have to use force to deal with their own government,” he said Wednesday on Fox News.

Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott are in the midst of their own feud with the Bureau of Land Management.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. You can see it in his eyes that Rick Perry is one crazy SOB.

  2. “I don’t know what he said…”

    This Neanderthal has to be the most uninformed person in the history of forever, or a simple, fuckin’ liar.

    BTW, I feel that your new comment format leaves a little to be desired… something like simplicity?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for ncsteve Avatar for billfromdover Avatar for angelo_frank

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: