The Colorado lawmaker who brought a box of Popeye’s fried chicken to the state capitol earlier this week insisted Thursday that the food was brought to eat, not to stage a “silent protest.”
State Rep. Lori Saine (R) drew pushback when she brought the chicken to a legislative task force meeting on Wednesday at the state capitol in Denver. It was the first time the task force met since Saine’s GOP colleague, state Sen. Vicki Marble (R) mentioned both barbeque and fried chicken during a discussion of racial disparities in the poverty rate last month.
Saine was overheard by television station KDVR saying that she brought the box of Popeye’s as a “silent protest” against the uproar generated by Marble’s comments. But on Thursday, she expressed doubt that anyone “could have possibly overheard” her saying that.
“I was simply having lunch,” Saine told the Longmont Times-Call, adding that she “made no mention of Sen. Marble to anyone.”
Saine also questioned why chicken was considered offensive and asked, “[W]hat should I be eating at the next session?”
State Democrats denounced her actions and the Colorado Republican Party distanced itself from Saine, who admitted to the Times-Call that she should have addressed the controversy earlier.
