Georgia's House speaker on Friday took away a committee leadership post from a fellow Republican who said in a radio interview that the late U.S. Rep John Lewis' "only claim to fame was that he got conked on the head." Rep. Tommy Benton, who was chairman of the House Retirement Committee
FILE - In this March 27, 2017 file photo, Georgia State Rep. Tommy Benton, R - Jefferson, speaks at a press conference to defend his bill proposing to recognize April as"Confederate History Month" in Atlanta. House Speaker David Ralston on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, stripped Benton of his committee leadership position after Benton said of the late U.S.
“I have never read of a significant piece of legislation that was passed with his name on it,” Benton said. “John Lewis, his only claim to fame was he got conked on the head at the Pettus Bridge. And he has milked that for 50 years." “The comments made by Representative Benton are offensive and disgusting,” House Speaker David Ralston said in a statement. “These comments do not reflect the values or the views of the House Majority Caucus. I can neither condone nor ignore such hurtful remarks.”Related: John Lewis, the civil rights icon in his own words
Benton sponsored a bill that would have required the state to formally recognize Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee’s birthday as public holidays, a constitutional amendment that would protect Stone Mountain as a Confederate memorial, and another bill that would require street names changed since 1968 to revert to their former names if the prior name had honored a Civil War veteran.
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Georgia House member loses post over John Lewis criticismThe speaker of Georgia's House of Representative is taking a leadership post away from a state lawmaker who remarked that the late U_S_ Rep John Lewis' 'only claim to fame was that he got conked on the head.'
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