Raleigh, NC—The following is a statement from Tim Eakins, Director of North Carolina’s Voice:
“After a year of supporting Donald Trump and fueling his rise to power, Senator Richard Burr and Governor Pat McCrory have been quick to distance themselves from this latest scandal involving Trump’s disgusting and predatory comments that came to light on Friday.
But it is too little too late.
For over a year, Republicans like McCrory and Burr have supported Donald Trump and enabled his extreme and offensive views to become normalized and mainstreamed. To condemn Trump’s behavior at the eleventh hour is to ignore their complicity in his rise over the past year and a half. In fact, just yesterday, Senator Burr joined the Trump campaign’s National Security Advisory Council. Just today, Senator Burr reaffirmed that he still supports Trump’s candidacy.
Donald Trump began his campaign calling Mexicans rapists and criminals, advocated for the mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, mocked people with disabilities, called for a ban on Muslims, attacked a Gold Star family, and fat-shamed Alicia Machado. And at no point did Governor McCrory or Senator Burr ever rescind their endorsement. They even appeared on stage with him.
It is only now, one month before Election Day with Trump headed for a loss, that Governor McCrory and Senator Burr have suddenly sought to publicly distance themselves and criticize Trump’s behavior. And to be clear, neither has rescinded their endorsement of his candidacy. Their last minute censure is pure political expediency not character. North Carolina deserves better than Trump and deserves better than Pat McCrory and Richard Burr.”
