ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland's lieutenant governor is coming under fire for a comment about recent acts of racism and hatred in the state.
Local news media outlets report that Republican Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford has been criticized for saying in a tweet that hate is not "new" and that he would rather people "show their real colors than hide."
Rutherford's tweet was in response to state Democratic Sen. Cheryl Kagan. Kagan was criticizing Rutherford for not linking an uptick in race-based incidents to the election of Donald Trump.
Kagan told The Washington Post that Rutherford's tweet was "remarkably offensive."
A spokeswoman for Rutherford says he condemns all acts of racism and hatred. She says he was stating that racism and racial tensions "have been issues facing our nation for hundreds of years."
