SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah lawmaker who said the NAACP is a racist group in a tweet earlier this week has now issued a public apology.
Rep. David Lifferth, who represents Eagle Mountain, tweeted Tuesday afternoon, “we should’ve known Don Sterling was a racist when he gave money to National Association for Advancement of Colored People.”
Los Angeles Clipper owner Donald Sterling was fined and banned from professional basketball because of racist remarks, and Lifferth’s tweet was a response to the issue.
One Twitter user pressed Lifferth Tuesday, saying, “so you’re saying the NAACP is racist?”
Lifferth responded, “Yes, any group that tries to advance specific people based of their race is by definition racist.”
But on Thursday Lifferth published an apology for the tweet on his blog. The apology reads:
“I need to publicly apologize for my bad joke about Don Sterling and the NCAAP (sic). My joke was in poor taste and insensitive to others. I have learned a lot in the past few days. The NCAAP (sic) is not a racist organization. My logic was flawed.
For the record, I grew up at Ground Zero of the Civil Rights Era. I grew up in a family and was taught by parents to love all people. I have been taught much and have a great amount of love and respect for my teachers, classmates, coaches, team captains, teammates, friends, best friends, church members, neighbors, roommates, and family members of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
I apologize for my insensitive words and hope that people can find it in their hearts to forgive a naïve person that truly does love and care for people of all races and nationalities. I have deleted my tweets and hope that they no longer hurt anyone’s feelings.
David E. Lifferth”
