Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) demanded an apology from Associated Press (AP) writer Jill Colvin for her “racist and dehumanizing” remarks about Miller’s adopted grandchildren.
Miller shared on Twitter Sunday a screenshot of text messages between one of her staffers and the AP’s Colvin.
Miller tweeted:
Who talks this way about babies? For the last 16 hours, Rodney Davis & the Fake News Media have been attacking me & dehumanizing my grandchildren. This is disgusting language. Look at the way they speak about my grand-babies. I demand an apology from Rodney Davis & the @AP.
Who talks this way about babies?
For the last 16 hours, Rodney Davis & the Fake News Media have been attacking me & dehumanizing my grandchildren.
This is disgusting language. Look at the way they speak about my grand-babies.
I demand an apology from Rodney Davis & the @AP pic.twitter.com/EgXhrSJdGd
— Mary Miller (@Miller_Congress) June 26, 2022
In the screenshot, Colvin refers to Miller’s adopted and disabled grandchildren as “non-white ones” that “have down.”
“My mistake. She has two grandchildren with Down syndrome,” Miller’s staffer texted Colvin. “She has so many kids and grandchildren.”
“Thank you for letting me know,” Colvin replied. “I realize this may sound bizarre to ask, but trying to determine if we need to run a correction. Does more than one of the non-white ones have Down?”
The messages also show that Colvin sent an AP report link to Miller’s staffer that erroneously claimed Miller celebrated Roe v. Wade’s reversal as a “victory for white life.”
After Miller thanked former President Donald Trump for a “victory for life” following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the AP, and other corporate media outlets, ran a hit piece on Miller over “a mix-up of words,” according to Miller’s spokesman Isaiah Wartman.
“You can clearly see in the video … she’s looking at her papers and looking at her speech,” Wartman added.
The AP’s Vanessa Alvarez reached out to Wartman on Monday for a video comment about the congresswoman’s remarks, according to an email obtained by Breitbart News.
Alvarez noted that Wartman already provided a comment to Colvin but wanted to get a video comment for a reaction piece that included video interviews from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
However, Wartman insisted the AP issue an apology for Colvin’s “racist and dehumanizing remarks,” before he would arrange a video interview.
Wartman said:
Congresswoman Mary Miller requested an apology from the Associated Press for the Associated Press referring to her grandchildren as “non-white ones” that “have Down?” Does the Associated Press stand by these racist and dehumanizing remarks? Are you reaching out to offer an apology on behalf of the Associated Press for referring to a baby like this? Can you point me to where in the AP Style Guide it says to refer to babies as “non-white ones” that “have Down?”
In your interview with the ACLU, did you inform them that the Associated Press referred to Congresswoman Miller’s grandchildren as “non-white ones?” If not, why not? Did the ACLU provide comment on referring to babies as “non-white ones” that “have Down?” Does the ACLU believe this is appropriate language from the Associated Press? Who from the ACLU did you speak with?
“Before we arrange an interview with you, please provide responses to these questions,” Wartman concluded.
Miller also blasted her opponent, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), for running with the AP’s smear against her.
“Rodney Davis knows I have a large diverse family that includes two grandsons with Down Syndrome that he is smearing two days before an election because he is a failing career politician trying to hide the fact that he voted to fund Planned Parenthood & he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016,” Miller tweeted.
(1/3) Rodney Davis knows I have a large diverse family that includes two grandsons with Down Syndrome that he is smearing two days before an election because he is a failing career politician trying to hide the fact that he voted to fund Planned Parenthood & he voted for…(cont.) pic.twitter.com/qR8owWzl4q
— Mary Miller (@Miller_Congress) June 26, 2022
Miller’s primary election against Davis will happen on Tuesday, June 28.
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