State Rep. Alan Clemmons, who authored the South Carolina voter ID law being argued in federal court this week, admitted on Tuesday he welcomed a racist email he received from a friend in support of the law.
Clemmons replied with “Amen” and “thank you for your support” after a man named Ed Koziol wrote that black and poor voters would “be like a swarm of bees going after a watermelon” if the legislature offered a reward for obtaining identification cards, according to McClatchy.
At the trial, Clemmons called the response “poorly considered.”
A civil rights lawyer also asked Clemmons about packets of peanuts that were distributed with cards that read “Stop Obama’s nutty agenda and support voter ID.” Clemmons reportedly testified previously that he was the one who handed out the packets, but this time he said he could not remember doing so.
On his first day of testimony, Clemmons tweeted a photo from inside of the courtroom, violating the federal court’s ban on photography.
Closing arguments in the case are expected on Friday. A panel of federal judges is also expected to rule on Texas’ voter ID law this week.
