NAACP Stands by Chapter President Calling Sen. Tim Scott a Ventriloquist’s ‘Dummy’

The NAACP’s North Carolina President Rev. William Barber II ignited a firestorm when, in an extensive profile in a South Carolina paper, he attacked Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) as a being a puppet and a tool of the “extreme right wing.” Scott did not respond in kind, but Republican officials demanded that Barber and the NAACP disavow those comments. Far from distancing themselves from Barber or his statement, the NAACP issued a statement defending the North Carolina-based chapter official and standing by his comments.

“A ventriloquist can always find a good dummy,” Barber said of Scott, one of just two African-Americans in the U.S. Senate.

RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Responds to NAACP Official Who Called Him a Ventriloquist’s ‘Dummy’

“Dr. King emphasized love and justice rather than extremism,” a statement issued to Fox News read. “Unless we stand for justice we cannot claim allegiance to or pay homage to Dr. King.”

“In a state such as South Carolina, politicians, whether they be black or white, should not be echoing the position of the far right,” the statement concluded.

[h/t NRO]
[Photo via screen grab/NAACP]

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